037. EYE OF NEWT AND TOE OF FROG
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From the moment they landed on the surface of the planet, Nim Okri took charge in leading the following expedition. Without precaution as to whether the environment was even safe to step foot in, she disembarked from the ship and trudged off into the jungle of the surrounding area.
"Do we just follow?" Finn raised an eyebrow and looked over at Poe who shrugged.
Nim turned her head and looked back at the others on the ramp. "Are you coming?"
Evangeline shrugged and followed after the witch. "Is that good enough for you?"
"Not really," Finn muttered under his breath but proceeded to follow after the others.
The jungle was dense and grew darker the further they walked. No one dared separate from the witch's side as she decisively turned and weaved through the undergrowth. Only after they reached a clearing did she stop. She turned in a full circle before nodding her head as if to say 'yes, this will do'. Nim took a seat on a nearby log and gestured for the rest of the group to follow. Her eyes drifted to each face as she counted their numbers. There were sixteen of them present, seventeen including herself, a large group but necessary all the same. She took a moment to catch her breath before breaking the silence of the area.
"I will gather materials to build a fire. The rest of you will collect the other ingredients necessary to close the rift."
"How will we know what we need?" Poe asked, raising an eyebrow.
Nim pursed her lips but decided against adding a snarky remark. "Because I am about to tell you. You will divide into four groups to retrieve the four remaining ingredients: a bittercress root, water from the Stavrex River, some temporal crystals, and my spell book."
"This planet is part of the Wobochee system," Poe noted in confusion, "A star system that wasn't recorded in our database or almost any other we searched through, but you knew how to get here as if it were the back of your own hand..."
"I should," Nim scoffed, "I lived here for decades."
Finn froze and faced the witch. As if she had seen into his very soul and seen his concerns, she nodded her head and confirmed the very thing he feared. She knew that her apprentice had shown him pieces of his past, so it was only natural for Finn to fear the very spot where life had been sucked out of so many individuals of the past. They were practically standing on top of a graveyard that only she and he knew about. She eyed him as if daring him to speak up and tell someone else, but he kept quiet.
Evangeline stepped forward, clearly eager to close the rift as soon as possible. "Where to first then?"
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"How much further do you think it is?" Luke asked and Rey was forced to turn around and face him.
"I'm not quite sure actually. Nim's instructions were almost too vague."
"Guide us, the force will," Yoda said from the front of the group as he seemed to scout ahead. "Dark soon, it will be."
Luke sighed and nodded his head as he followed Yoda from behind. Rey was quiet, and kept a short amount of distance between herself and the other Jedi as if hesitant to approach. Noticing that something seemed to be on her mind, Luke finally turned toward her. "You clearly want to say something."
Rey quickly shook her head to deny his observation before contradicting her own action. "It's just... we never did complete my training."
Luke frowned, not at her, but at her implication. He shook his head. "I told you once that the days of the Jedi had long since passed."
"And yet, here you are standing before me," Rey countered, "If that isn't a sign from the force then what is?"
Yoda looked back at Luke. It was difficult to interpret the smug expression as anything more than his usual demeanor. However, Luke knew from experience that his master found the situation at least amusing.
"All I know," Luke finally responded, "is that one moment I was finally at peace and the next I was dealing with this chaos."
"Just forget it," Rey muttered under her breath in frustration. She stormed ahead to catch up with Yoda and threw a few branches aside that had been in her way.
Unfortunate for Luke, those branches swung back and connected with his nose. He fell back onto the ground as he was thrown off balance. He sighed, stood, and dusted himself off. As he looked up, he jumped at the sight of his master standing in front of him.
"I thought you were leading?"
"Continue on, Rey did." Yoda leaned against his walking stick and watched Luke with amusement.
"Did you need something?"
"Your goal to upset the youth, is it, hmm?" Yoda poked him with his stick. "Yes, hmmm."
Luke batted the stick aside with annoyance. "My goal is to fix this mess that we've found ourselves in. We both know this isn't natural and won't lead anywhere good... besides, you've seen how the padawans that I've trained have turned out."
Yoda opened his mouth to speak, but his voice did not emerge. Instead, an enraged shout echoed from ahead. Although mostly unintelligible, a long slur of what Luke assumed to be vocabulary exclusive to the Jakku natives could be heard. Luke and his master looked at one another for a second longer before sprinting through the jungle toward the shouts. As they ran into the clearing, they weren't quite sure what to expect; however, Rey hanging upside down being lowered by the overhead vines into the mouth of a giant plant was certainly not their first assumption.
"Found the bittercress root, I believe we have," Yoda noted as he and Luke stared at the large, overgrown plant.
"Are you sure?" Luke asked before adding with a bit of hysterics, "I'm pretty sure I would have remembered if the witch had said that the plant was alive!"
Rey blindly swung her lightsaber at the plant and cried out in frustration, "A little help?!"
"With what?" Luke asked as he referred to the fact that neither of them had a weapon to help with. Furthermore, despite the restoration of the link to the force, it was still unpredictable to use.
Rey frowned, but turned off her blade and tossed it down toward the others. Yoda leapt up into the air to catch the weapon; however, the plant had caught sight of his motion. A vine snatched him tight. Without a moment to process what had happened, the plant had tossed the Jedi master into its mouth and swallowed him whole. Luke's eyes widened in horror.
"Now what?!"
"Grab a stick or something!" Rey shouted as the vines tightened around her and continued to lower her closer to the plant.
"I don't know if you saw, but that thing just ate Master Yoda!" Luke took a step back away from the plant as he gestured to it.
"Alright, I am," Yoda's muffled voice could be heard from inside what could only be assumed as the plant's stomach.
"Just do something!" Rey shouted, again gaining Luke's attention.
Luke looked around to consider his options. A lightsaber certainly would've been helpful, but the plant had eaten that alongside Master Yoda. There weren't many other helpful options after that. His eyes shifted back and forth as he debated making a final decision. As Rey released another slew of curses, Luke sighed and held out his hands. Once he made sure that he was just out of range of the plant's grasp, he closed his eyes and concentrated on connecting with the metal in the belly of the beast.
He could feel it within his hands despite its absence. A glow formed in the stomach of the plant as the weapon responded favorably to Luke's will. It moved side to side as he gained control before emerging from the creature's gut. With a quick swing, the blade ripped through the rest of the plant, and it crashed to the ground with a final shriek.
Luke opened his eyes. At the same time, the lightsaber shut off and fell to the ground into a puddle of intestinal muck. Rey stood and made an attempt to wipe the plant's slime from her face, but was unsuccessful. In annoyance, she bent over and picked up her lightsaber.
As Yoda stood, it was impossible to differentiate where he started and the slime ended. "A close one, that was. Yes, hmmm."
"You've got a little something..." Luke pointed to his own face in reference to the slime covering Rey's; however, he stopped as she glared at him. "Nevermind."
"Just grab the root and let's go," Rey instructed as she threw some more slime onto the ground. "The sooner we get out of here the better."
"I wonder if the others are having as much trouble," Luke pondered aloud.
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Han groaned as he tilted his head vertical to look up the steep mountainside. "I have a bad feeling about this."
"I mean, the best advice that I can give is don't look down." Ric Oryll shrugged.
Jia rolled her eyes and muttered under her breath before looking back over her shoulder at those lingering behind. "We're losing valuable daylight the longer you stand around."
Although he'd been advised against it, Finn couldn't help but look behind himself at the progress that their small group had made. His vision blurred and spun at the height at which he stood. Had Ric not quickly reached out to grab him, he certainly would have lost his balance.
"Ulyc, vod!"
Finn raised an eyebrow at the expression, but simply nodded his head in appreciation. Jia turned her head once more and motioned for the others to pick up the pace with a wave of her hand.
"You've got one bossy sister," Han muttered so that only Ric and Finn could hear.
"Reminds me of your wife," Ric spoke without thinking. He froze and sheepishly faced Han. "Respectfully, sir."
"Respectfully?" Han raised an eyebrow. "Now is that because you're scared of some fancy title I was given."
"Most consider the title 'general' to be an honorable one." Ric shrugged but then shook his head. "But no, I'm more in awe of the pilot you were."
"More walking, less talking!" Jia shouted over her shoulder and then added specifically for her brother. "Gev fawning jaon him bal pick laam gar feet, di'kut."
Finn looked between the two in confusion. He picked up the pace alongside the others and walked in stride with Ric. "Did she just say you were fawning over Solo?"
Ric nodded his head. "I mean he's one of my idols, so understandably she has to make a fool out of me."
"It's really not that hard to do," Jia retorted having overheard.
Ric rolled his eyes but ignored her comment as he continued to explain. "I may have embarrassed her when we were first introduced to Admiral Holdo."
"An understatement," Jia scoffed.
"So now," Ric continued despite the interruptions, "she thinks she has the right to try and embarrass me in front of one of my heroes."
"I'm no hero, kid." Han seemed to laugh at the idea. "Just a smuggler looking for his next score."
It was Finn's turn to scoff as he was forced to recall the limited amount of time that he'd spent with the man. Both Ric and Jia also appeared to be skeptical of his statement. Han frowned as he noticed that none of them seemed to remember the reputation that had gotten him into much trouble.
Although difficult and taxing, the journey up the mountainside went as smoothly as it could have. As they reached the entrance to the cave at the end of their path, the four paused to consider their options.
"I think we have to go through," Ric noted the obvious.
"Thank you, or'dinii, for that insightful observation." Jia rolled her eyes."
"Is she always so degrading toward you?" Finn asked quietly.
"Usually." Ric nodded his head before pausing as if he'd made a connection. "I didn't realize you spoke Mando'a."
Finn shook his head in confusion. "I don't..."
Ric chuckled. "You just did, mate."
Han looked between the two. "Would someone explain what's going on? Because I haven't understood the last five minutes of conversation."
"The witch did say that the closer we got to the water, the stranger things around us may become," Jia noted with a nod of her head. "We should keep moving. We have no idea what else could be waiting for us."
"A comforting thought," Han retorted sarcastically before entering the cave after Jia.
Ric gave Finn a comforting pat on the back before following after the others. Finn stood alone at the mouth of the cave just a second longer before he too followed after the others with a deep breath.
The cave was dark and damp, but more importantly it was short. The light at the end of the tunnel came quickly as the group emerged from the stone and entered what appeared to be a garden of serenity. The grass was green and the waters in the river just meters ahead were crystal as if they had forgotten that their abode was at the top of a mountain.
"The Stavrex River I presume," Jia said as she took a step closer to look down at the shimmering surface, "Although that did feel a bit too easy..."
"You considered that easy?" Han asked, incredulous.
"It is all downhill from here." Jia referred to their return journey. "I suppose I expected something more than just rock climbing as a challenge."
Han opened his mouth to speak, but the ground rumbled in response. The water rippled and a large stone rose from the depths. It turns to reveal a carved face and eyes that glowed a vibrant blue. After standing several meters above them, it then revealed that it was capable of moving like a living being as it possessed what could only be considered arms and legs. It looked down at the group and crossed its arms before its voice rattled the earth.
"I am the guardian of the River Stavrex and the Sonoma Tribe. Who dares deem themselves worthy of standing before me?"
Ric turned to look at his sister and shrugged. "I am Ric Oryll of Clan Oryll, House Kast. And this, lovely individual, is my twin sister, Jia."
The stone guardian remained silent as he waited for the others to reply.
Han looked the creature over skeptically, but ultimately decided that it'd be best to play along rather than risk angering the guardian. "Han Solo."
The stone guardian then turned his full attention toward Finn.
"Uh," Finn stammered, "I'm Finn—"
"Incorrect."
Finn raised an eyebrow, but decided to try again. "FN-2187–"
"Incorrect."
As much as he was relieved that a number didn't define him, he wasn't sure how else to continue. He kept quiet and the stone guardian seemed to understand why without an explanation.
"You have lost yourself..."
"Enough with all the cryptic comments," Han interjected as the stone guardian paused, "Can we take some of the water or not?"
The stone ignored Han, but if possible to grow more tense, the stone did. It hummed as if trying to make a decision before nodding its head in Finn's direction.
"You have been deemed worthy of accepting the water's restorative gift."
"Thank you," Han nodded, but his comment was in a tone less than appreciative. However, as he pulled out the flask that the witch had given them to retrieve the water, the stone held out a hand to prevent Han from stepping forward.
"Not you. Only one who has a need to find themself may take of these waters. The reflection guides the mind to the innermost reaches of the soul."
"Looks like you're up," Ric pushed Finn forward. Additionally, he snatched the flask from Han's hand and offered it to Finn who hesitantly accepted it.
Finn took a deep breath. He didn't know why, but he was nervous. It wasn't as if he was facing any real danger. All he had to do was reach down and fill the flask up. The task would be completed and from there they could focus on returning back down the mountain. He lowered the flask toward the water, but without warning, the stone guardian grabbed him by the wrist and pulled him into the river.
Although he could hear the others shout as he was dragged under, their words became unintelligible the deeper he was pulled. He should have realized that the river was deep based solely on the fact that it was capable of concealing a creature of such massive size; however, he hadn't taken such precautions when carelessly approaching the ledge.
His lungs began to burn as they screamed for air, but there was no leeway for him to even try to break free from the stone's iron grip. Slowly, it became impossible to differentiate the darkness of the deep from the fact that he was losing consciousness.
He closed his eyes to blink, but as he opened them, his surroundings were completely different. Although foreign, he knew the place that he was currently stranded; however, the name refused to grace its presence at the forefront of his mind.
The cove was small, but for some reason he felt as if he remembered it being larger. Everything felt slightly off, but oddly comforting at the same time. The waters weren't quite as clear as the Stavrex River, but they were a close second. He could feel the salt in the air that lingered against the rocky shoals. The sound of three small voices drew his attention behind him. Finn silently turned and froze.
There they stood. The three children from the illusion that Seth had shown him... or was it a memory, that part hadn't been clear. It had all been too confusing to keep track of which mind they had visited with each passing scene. However, this was different. He still recognized himself, but the other two he had no recollection of. They giggled as they bounced from rock to rock, splashing each other in the process.
Although the children were interesting, the inscriptions carved into the cave walls are what really held his attention. Finn stared and narrowed his eyes as if squinting would help him translate the foreign language. A cough from beside him startled him and he jumped at the sudden appearance of his younger self. The small boy tilted his head and stared at the wall in a similar manner. He couldn't have been older than five years old. And yet, he still stood there as if trying to read the writing that covered the walls.
"Meg cuyir gar laam at?" The small girl had paused beside his younger self and tilted her head as if trying to mimic him.
"Ni haa'miitir."
The girl giggled and shook her head. "Vaabir gar kar'taylir pehea?"
"Ibic ni vaabir."
Although the conversation was spoken in a foreign language, Finn was shocked to learn that he had understood every word spoken. He turned back toward the wall and much further to his surprise, did he realize that he suddenly could read it after all.
Who we are never changes, who we think we are does.
It was the first thing he read, but he was forced to stop and think about what it meant. Was all of this just another illusion or was this the force's way of trying to tell him something? He didn't understand the connection that many of the others possessed with it, nor was he going to pretend like he did; however, he wasn't close-minded about its existence due to what he'd seen. So far within his life he'd been called two things: a number, FN-2187; and a name, Finn. Perhaps there were other titles that he possessed without every realizing it.
The moment that he actually considered the sliver of doubt, he was torn from the dream-like world and thrust back into reality. The burning in his chest returned and the pressure in his head had grown more immense; however, the light had returned. His eyes focused on the distorted yellow ball overhead that grew with each passing moment. Suddenly, his head broke free from the waters that threatened to drown him and he gasped to fill his lungs with much-needed oxygen.
He was dragged toward the shore and as he laid on dry land once more, he turned his head to face his rescuer. Han's breathing was heavy as he slowly stood and made an effort to wring out the edge of his shirt after pushing his wet hair from his eyes.
He met Finn's glance and nodded. "You're welcome."
"You have disrupted a sacred rite of passage-"
"Yeah?" Han interrupted with a rhetorical question before shouting up toward the stone guardian to ensure that he'd been heard. "Well screw your rite of passage then! You just about disrupted the kid's life by drowning him."
"It is not my decision to deem whether or not he is worthy to survive the ceremony, I only deem if one is worthy to attempt such a process."
Han shook his head with a frown. "Told you I had a bad feeling about this... let's just get out of here before anyone else decides to go for a swim. I'd rather not experience death twice."
Finn was still a bit shaken up from his experience, but he nodded his head in agreement as he stood. "I've got the flask. We have what we came for."
"Great." Ric nodded his head before looking at the others with a mischievous grin. "Last one down the mountain is a womp rat."
Ric took off back toward the cave with a sprint. Without hesitation, Jia ran after him shouting an unintelligible string of curses in Mando'a. Finn looked over at Han and shrugged before jogging after the others. He wouldn't necessarily admit it yet, but he really just wanted an excuse to get out of there quick. Han placed his hands on his hips and looked up toward the sky with a frustrated sigh.
As if he had forgotten that he himself was much younger than he once was, he muttered under his breath as he followed after the others, "I hate kids."
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"We've been walking for hours."
"Thank you, Anakin," Kenobi rolled his eyes, "for that helpful observation."
"Perhaps we are lost." Anakin frowned and glared as he turned toward Kenobi.
Evangeline shook her head. "We're going the right way."
Kenobi raised an eyebrow, curious by her statement. "And you know this?"
She nodded her head and looked toward Ben. "I can feel them... can you?"
Ben nodded his head in agreement as he looked around as if trying to find the source of something calling him away. Of course, that most certainly was what he was trying to do as Evangeline herself also felt a similar pull. It wasn't easy to decipher, but the pull grew stronger with every step they took.
"This way," Evangeline pointed, but looked toward Ben for confirmation. He quietly gave another nod of his head.
As if to reward them for following their instincts, they soon arrived at the mouth of a cave. Evangeline turned and offered Anakin a satisfied yet smug expression. He rolled his eyes in return and walked toward the cave with a huff. Kenobi chuckled quietly under his breath. Although responsible for locating the cave, Evangeline lingered toward the back of the pack as they walked through the dark corridors. Kenobi, taking note, slowed his pace to walk beside her.
"Something on your mind?"
Evangeline looked up a bit surprised to see she wasn't alone. She hesitated, but ultimately decided against her better nature and confided in him. With a deep breath, she admitted, "I'm just a bit shaken from what Finn had to say back on the ship I guess."
"About the Sith lord?"
She slowly nodded her head. "What if he's right?"
Kenobi looked down at the ground and stroked his beard in thought before looking back up at the girl. "I've faced a few Sith lords in my day and time. It's never easy to decline the temptation of taking the easy path... but I've found those who are grounded in what they believe and possess a strong will fare better than others."
Evangeline turned to look ahead at Anakin and Ben who walked alongside one another in awkward silence. "From what I've heard, those two have some of the strongest wills ever trained in the force."
"There is a difference between stubbornness and a strong will," Kenobi corrected, "In either situation, there was something that shook them to the core, and they were unable to defend the very truths that they once believed. What do you believe?"
Evangeline shook her head slowly and her eyes drifted to the ground. "I don't know anymore... I didn't even finish my training, what hopes do I have standing against someone who has?"
"The force works in mysterious ways," Kenobi admitted a bit softer, "But there is always a glimmer of hope somewhere. You just have to know where to look."
Evangeline was quiet. She slowly lifted her head and prepared to speak, but a quick flash of light temporarily blinded her. She blinked quickly and shook her head to clear the disorientation from her mind before looking ahead. The cave opened up into a large cavern. She gasped in awe as she spun in a slow circle to take in the entire area.
"It's like a chamber of stars..."
Ben had approached the edge of the cavern and placed his hand against the wall. He pulled one of the crystals from the stone and rolled it along his fingers in confusion. "Kyber?"
"I suppose that makes sense," Evangeline slowly nodded her head as she made a few connections, "The crystals from our lightsabers were used to create this mess, it only makes sense that they'd be needed to fix it."
"Then why couldn't we just use the crystals from our lightsabers?" Ben asked, frustration evident in his voice. "Then we wouldn't have needed to take this pointless journey."
"Perhaps there's something different about these crystals?" Evangeline suggested.
"They look the same to me," Anakin noted as he too now held one in his hand.
"You would know, wouldn't you," Kenobi stifled a grin, "I can't seem to think of another Jedi that traveled to Ilum more times than you."
"It wasn't always my fault," Anakin protested in annoyance as he crossed his arms.
"How many lightsabers did you make?" Kenobi asked as if to prove a point.
"I've lost count," Anakin sheepishly muttered under his breath.
"How many of these do we need?" Ben asked, prepared to pull another crystal from the stone walls.
"Four," Evangeline replied, recalling the witch's instruction, "One for each involved in the original spell. The only catch was that we each only collect one crystal."
"Well, I have mine." Ben tossed the crystal into the air and then caught it.
The other three made their way around the cavern and took very little time to decide upon a crystal. Although it didn't seem like it should matter, each was cautious about their choice. They regrouped in the center of the room and held out the crystal on the palm of their hand to confirm that they were ready to leave.
However, as the crystals were placed into a small pouch for safekeeping, the other crystals along the walls lit up and began to glow in a variety of soft hues. Evangeline winced in immediate pain. It was fainter than what she had experienced before, but still present enough that she was forced to take a knee.
Ben's face expressed his concern as he bent down to her level. "Eva? What's wrong?"
She placed a hand to her head and squeezed her eyes shut as if that would console the voices that had started to scream. She shook her head and remained silent. She didn't want to speak, the thought of sound hurt. As she opened her eyes, they too glowed as if reacting to the crystals around the chamber. Her vision blurred and faded. The three individuals standing above her changed along with her surroundings.
"Precious, isn't she?"
"Do they always start off this small?"
"You were once that small, Bantha Brain."
The three voices were practically identical as they conversed. Aside from the style of their hair and a difference of scars, the three individuals also looked practically identical. There was a fourth beside them, but he remained silent as he stared down at her. A fondness in his eyes that intrigued her. He looked as if he wished to reach out to her; however, restraint held him back.
"How long before she joins us?" a fifth voice joined the mix, an elderly woman.
Three of the four men looked at one another as if hiding something. The fourth closed his eyes and clenched his fists as if trying to conceal his rage. He took a deep breath before he stood and faced the elderly woman.
"She won't be—" He took another deep breath as his voice hitched and shook his head. "She won't be joining us this evening."
Understanding his implication, the woman lifted a hand to cover her mouth and was forced to turn away. They left the room and Evangeline desperately tried to follow, but found that she was stuck lying in the same position. Although it was a strain on her ears, she managed to continue listening to the conversation that continued into the next room.
"Corrine." She knew that name. It had been one of those mentioned when the link had first been created. That certainly felt like ages ago despite it only being days. "I understand that this isn't easy on you... but he will be coming for us. And the girl for that matter."
"Captain—"
"I know how much he means to you, Corrine. But I swore an oath to her that I would protect her daughter with my life, and I intend to keep my word... I understand that you're torn—"
"Do what you must, Captain."
"You know if there was any other way—"
"Captain." There was a moment of silence. "You do not have to explain yourself to me."
They walked back into the room and looked down at Evangeline. She tilted her head as she looked back up at them. The smiles on their faces were bittersweet. Before another word could be said, a knock at the front door broke the silence. They looked at one another quizzically before Evangeline was left alone once more.
"She's this way." Corrine's voice neared again. "You're certain she'll be safe."
Evangeline's blood turned cold at the next face that peered down at her. "There's nowhere safer for her to be."
She knew that to be a bold-faced lie as Luke looked down at her and smiled. She could only assume that she was reliving another memory, one she was far too young to remember. Unfortunately, aside from her former master, she didn't recognize any of the others present in the room. She became so absorbed in her own thoughts that she missed the moment that she left the house. The next thing she knew, she was looking out a window, down at the house from above. She jumped at the sudden violent sounds of blaster fire and a scream of anguish.
As if feeling the mood change in the air, the skies opened up and droplets of rain stained the glass. A red beam of light emerged from the back of the house. The figure pulled back his hood. His dark hair clung to his face as it was drenched. The blood on his robes isn't what scarred her though, it was his eyes that reflected the color of the blade. It was the pair of eyes that would haunt her nightmares when she was much younger, a pair of eyes that she'd thought she'd made up when told stories of the Sith. However, it was impossible to avoid the fact that he looked far too much like the elderly woman for her comfort. Those eyes narrowed as it watched the ship fly out of range, but no efforts were made to stop the vessel from escaping. Her eyes watered and the wails of the night slowly receded as she was dragged back to the cavern of glittering crystals.
"Are you alright?" Ben asked quietly.
"He was there," Evangeline muttered under her breath, "He knew where I came from all this time and said nothing..."
"Does that make sense to anyone?" Anakin looked between Kenobi and Ben as if they could provide an answer.
Evangeline shook her head and rose to her feet. She pushed past the others and walked back toward the entrance of the cave. "I need to talk to Master—I need to talk with Luke."
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"It's not here." Poe threw down the stack of books in his hands out of frustration. He ran a hand through his hair and took a seat on the stool beside the shelf he had just finished searching.
"Perhaps there's somewhere that we haven't searched yet," Leia suggested as she lifted the books from the floor and placed them back on the shelf, "There's no need to give up hope yet."
Poe stood and started to pace across the room. "No. We've searched every nook and cranny in this hovel."
It was true. They had practically torn the witch's hut apart searching for the spell book. Like with each of the other ingredients, she'd been particularly vague about the book's whereabouts. Although she claimed it had been over a decade since she'd last stepped foot on the planet, Poe didn't quite see that as an excuse for not being able to provide clearer instructions. Kenobi and Skywalker had appeared the most annoyed with the witch's instruction as if they'd dealt with her mysteries previously.
"I didn't find anything outside," Kallus said as he closed the front door behind him.
The group froze as they heard a sudden snapping of twigs outside. Leia looked between the two and then raised a questioning eyebrow. She asked in a hushed tone, "We did leave the droids behind, yes?" Both Poe and Kallus nodded in unison.
A series of clicks were heard before a long howl. Poe inched toward the window as his fingers brushed against his holstered blaster. Kallus quickly reached out a hand and prevented him from pulling the weapon out.
Kallus shook his head and held a finger to his lips before adding with a whisper. "Let's see what we're up against before we blindly shoot."
The three slowly peered the heads over the windowsill ledge and looked out at the clearing that made up the hut's front yard. Nothing could be seen out in the open, but Leia was the first to notice the shadows hidden up in the trees. Kallus gestured for Poe to follow him out the back door so that they could take the creatures by surprise; however, as he turned, he was met with the sharpened tip of a spear.
Kallus quickly raised his hands in defense and Poe did the same as he realized that he wouldn't be able to reach his blaster in time to prevent anyone from being stabbed. Leia's expression held disapproval, but there wasn't anything that could be done as the three were led outside.
They were forced to walk a short distance by spear tip; however, it difficult to know where exactly they had been as the hostiles led them deeper into the jungle that looked more and more of the same. Eventually, Poe realized why some of the tree formations had begun to look like housing units. It seemed as if they'd been led into some sort of village.
"Where are you taking us?" Poe finally broke the silence of the trip.
None of their captors replied. Instead, they were ushered inside the camouflaged hut in the center of the village. They were forced to their knees and their foreheads were pressed to the ground. The vines at the back of the hut parted down the center and a man dressed in a flowered robe stood before them.
A child stepped forward and cleared his throat before speaking in basic tongue. "Taybren Kahale, the High Priest of the Sonoma Tribe stands before you."
"What is this place?" Poe didn't even recognize the man as being any more important than the other individuals within the room.
One of the guards stepped forward; however, the priest held up a hand to halt his action. He then dismissed the child before addressing Poe, "You are in one of the last sanctuaries on Romur."
"Why are we here?" Poe's eyes shifted around the room as if taking note of any exits.
"We assumed the nightsister was with you," the priest replied, "otherwise why would you dare enter her abode."
"You're afraid of the witch."
"One would be foolish not to fear such a power."
"She seemed pretty harmless to me."
"Then you too are a fool."
Poe ignored his comment and pressed for more details. "She had something that we need. A spell book. Do you know where we might be able to find it?"
The priest nodded his head. "After we were certain that the witch and her boy left, we took anything that may pose a danger to our people."
"You have it?"
"Yes."
Poe grew excited. "Great! Can we have it?"
The priest shook his head. "It is far too powerful for any individual to possess."
"Well, if we don't get it," Poe tried to explain the gravity of the situation, "a whole lot of people are gonna die."
"More will perish if we give you the book," the priest contradicted, "I have seen it. A girl with colorless hair will be the end of us all."
"Evangeline?"
"I know not her name." The priest shook his head.
Kallus finally spoke. "We know the girl you speak of, and she is harmless."
Poe leaned in closer to Kallus and whispered, "I mean, we don't really know that though... we only met her a few days ago. Not to mention she's got that whole force thing—"
"Dameron," Kallus interrupted, "Although conflicted, she has yet to give us a reason not to trust her. There is more at stake than just her life as well."
Leia slowly nodded her head. "I've spoken with the witch, Nim—"
The Sonoman Natives in the room immediately took a step away from the three at the mention of the witch's name. The priest shook his head. "Names have power in our culture."
Leia stood and approached the priest. "Speaking as one leader to another, I realize that it is difficult to make decisions for an entire group of people. However, if you do not give us that spell book, a enormous amount of damage will be done. There's a tear in the fabric of the force. If we do not close the gap, your planet will only be the first of many to exchange their lives for those that have already lived theirs."
The priest listened intently to her words and slowly nodded his head. He gestured for Leia, and only Leia, to follow him into the next room. Kallus and Poe shot one another an inquisitive look, but it changed to relief as they watched the general return with an ancient leatherbound book in hand.
"Use it wisely," the priest warned and gave a nod of his head to signal that they were free to leave. The guards stepped aside and allowed them to stand.
They were guided back to the edge of the forest where the witch's hut awaited them. From there it was just a hop, jump, and a skip back across the stream where they had left the witch and the droids to set up camp.
∘₊✧───────────────────────────✧₊∘
Elvi frowned as he bent over and added another stick to the pile in his arms. He grumbled under his breath as he walked back toward the clearing, "I'm a medic not an errand boy."
Although he had several patients that required his attention, the general had requested that he join them on the surface of the planet as a precaution in case Miss Plutarch had any other issues. However, he'd been left behind with the witch and the droids to gather supplies to make a fire. He was the only one actually working. The witch had disappeared to who knew where and the droids had shut themselves down to conserve power.
"I know what you are."
Elvi jumped and dropped the sticks that he'd gathered in shock. He lifted his arms in self-defense and turned to face the witch now inches away from him. The woman really didn't grasp the concept of personal space. He sighed to catch his breath and took his pulse to ensure that his heart hadn't stopped.
He bent back down to pick up the wood that he'd dropped. "Yeah, I know what I am too. A medic who should be busy at work in the medical wing, but no I'm stuck out here, walking through the jungle to pick up sticks for a magical fire that's supposed to cure my patient."
"A skeptic." The witch chuckled and followed after him. "Even after everything that you've seen?"
"What I've seen is the reason I'm a skeptic," Elvi protested, "When you spend so much time around the sick—"
"I didn't mean what you've seen in the medical world, doctor." The witch grinned as she implied that she could see into the deepest secrets of his mind.
He walked slower and eyed her curiously. "Then what do you mean?"
"Why don't you tell me?" the witch asked and took a seat on a log beside the rest of the firewood. "You've certainly been around longer."
Elvi narrowed his eyes as he tried to decipher what she could possibly know. He set down his sticks with the others and began to set up the structure for the fire. Just as he was prepared to ask his next question, rustling from the bushes interrupted him.
Ric Oryll burst into the clearing out of breath. He huffed and laughed with a pointed finger behind him. "I... win..."
The other Oryll followed her brother into the clearing with much more composure. She rolled her eyes and approached the witch, holding out the flask as if it had been a prize that she'd won.
"Excellent." The witch's eyes lit up. "The others should soon follow."
As said, the rest of the groups gathered together as they returned from retrieving their assigned items. The witch held out her hand for each and snatched them up as if they might disappear. She then sent them away so that she might have time to herself to prepare for the spell. As Elvi was summoned to check on Evangeline, he cast one last look back at the witch. Her grin was eerie as she winked at him. Their conversation from earlier was far from over and they both knew this. He'd known that his secrets would spill one day, but he still dreaded it all the same.
∘₊✧───────────────────────────✧₊∘
• author's notes •
mando'a translations:
- ulyc, vod : careful brother
- gev fawning jaon him bal pick laam gar feet, di'kut : stop fawning over him and pick up your feet, idiot
- or'dinii : moron
- meg cuyir gar laam at : what are you up to
- ni haa'miitir : i read
- vaabir gar kar'taylir pehea : do you know how
- ibic ni vaabir : this i do
• fin •