Katerin's eyes snapped open to the sound of cheering—near deafening—despite that it came from such a small crowd. She immediately looked at her stomach and found that not a thread of her shirt was harmed—the only blood on her was a small spot from her still healing hand under its thick wrap of bandages. Her breath came in short, hard bursts as the terror still gripped her. She felt tired and sore—like she had just raced against a horse for a mile—but there was no pain, no missing organs, no blood. She looked up to see that they were laying on one side of the dirt arena.
The four Uhma'zarhins stirred across the room, looking as if they had just woken from a nap. The one whose head she had split was sitting up, talking in his native tongue and smiling widely, another was making gestures at his neck, a smile filling his expression as well. Fykes, Arjiah, and Brazen were already stirring, pushing themselves up with surprised looks on their faces.
The Lady Avris stood in the middle of the room again, as if she never left, waiting for them all to find their feet. Once they had, she gestured them to her, and the men across the way joined them as well.
"Congratulations!" Avris said, her voice carrying over the whole room. She bowed her head to them. "You have just beaten our best." Her voice was quieter, but she smiled. "Ali'damia has blessed us this day."
The crowd erupted into cheers again, and the men across the arena clapped as well. One patted his neck and grinned at Brazen, his shoulders rolling back in laughter.
Brazen stood stock still, watching the man with a blank expression.
Katerin narrowed her eyes at the bowl of water, thinking it must have knocked them out. She was confused about the fight, but it was obviously something to ponder later. She had more important things to pay attention to at the moment. How in the nine hells did she trick me with magic, she wondered.
Fykes was staring at his ankle, rolling it back and forth, and fidgeting his arms, as if testing every joint. Arjiah simply brushed the dirt from herself, stood and smiled, maintaining her ever-present scholarly appearance. They were all relieved that they had not truly killed the men, and that they had not actually been injured.
"Please, come with me," Avris said quietly. "We can discuss this further." She moved toward the stairs, and her two guards detached from the wall, following silently.
When they found themselves back at the throne room, there were four chairs awaiting them as Avris sat in her throne. All except Brazen took their seats. He stood behind his chair, close to Katerin's side, with his chin high, eyes alert, and hands clasped in front of him.
Avris poured herself a goblet of water, and offered some to them, before settling back. "So where do you wish to start?"
Katerin pulled a small piece of parchment from her bag, and Fykes handed her a small piece of charcoal. Not the best writing implement, but she had no room for extra ink. The tricks of their fight were forgotten, as soon as they found the throne room once again. It mattered little what Avris had done to trick her, right now. She was alive, and if she could gain a few answers, that was all that mattered. "How do we find Vale'sis?" she asked.
"We only know where he will be, not where he is," Avris said, sitting on her throne and crossing her legs.
"Where is that?" Fykes asked.
"Our scouts have reported that every new moon he travels to a shrine of Val'esis. He takes only a small group of followers and sacrifices," Avris sipped her water, taking a breath. "He never stays long, and then he is not found again until the next new moon."
Katerin frowned, but Arjiah leaned forward and spoke up. "They don't have a village or a gathering of their people?"
Avris shook her head. "They have many, but we haven't been able to get in. They are all very well guarded."
It was Arjiah's turn to frown.
"You're sure he'll be at the shrine?" Katerin asked, trying to keep a positive outlook even as she felt her stomach sinking.
"He has for five moons now. I am confident he will do so again."
"What do you mean a shrine to Val'esis? I thought he was Val'esis," Fykes said.
Avris smiled politely at him. "He is known as the avatar of Val'esis. He is no god." Her tone was sharp before she calmed and continued. "He is strong, and his people believe him to be... imbued with the power of their god."
"Is he truly stronger than the rest of his people?" Arjiah asked while Katerin took notes on her parchment.
"He is larger than all of them. Cruel and vicious. The lizards base their leadership much the same as orcs do. Combat prowess and strength alone decide the leader."
Katerin shivered. The lizards she already fought had been quite strong.
Avris reclined in her chair, her sheer dress shifting in a mesmerizing way. "His mind... is tainted. I do not know if that is Val'esis' influence or not."
"Where is the shrine? If we know its location, we could set up a trap for him when he arrives," Katerin said, a smudge of charcoal on her face.
"We can show you to the shrine whenever you wish. It is hidden in the forest."
"The new moon is quite a while from now, by my estimation. Is it going to be soon enough?" Arjiah said, quiet and composed.
"It is too dangerous to try and approach him at any other time. He only travels in large groups, and is rarely outside of their gatherings."
"The new moon is a long time to wait. My mother may not even be traceable at that point," Katerin said, chewing on her lip.
"Any other way is too dangerous. I'm sorry."
Katerin did not think she was sorry, but she did believe Avris knew more about it than she did. "So we kill this avatar, and you'll tell me where my mother is, to the best of your knowledge?"
"Yes. I give you my word. I will tell you all I know of your mother and her whereabouts." Her face turned serious. "Though I will require proof of Val'esis' death. Bring me his head, and our deal will be complete." She stood from her throne and held out her arm to Katerin.
Katerin grasped her forearm and bowed her head, something she remembered Ra'liel telling her about. Now they had a deal, and a bond on that deal until its completion.
Avris smiled, settling back in her chair. "Is there anything else I might do for our guests?" she asked, with a bright and charming smile.
Katerin paused, glancing over her shoulder. This was not something she had spoken to her companions about. Was not something she should even stick her nose in, but it might make up for the library, if she could pull it off. "There is one thing...if you would hear me out," she said, keeping her nervousness at bay.
"Of course," Avris replied, gesturing for Katerin to continue.
"It seems to me that you have had very few visitors of... our people. I have heard that peace talks have been a rather unpleasant affair." Katerin paused, clasping her hands together. "I am hoping we can change that."
Avris' eyebrows rose and she regarded the people in front of her curiously. "How would we go about that? Do you speak for your people?"
Katerin's expression dropped. "No. I can't make any deal that Sahn-Raidar would abide by... but I know of a man who could. And I would like to propose a meeting between the two of you."
Katerin straightened her shoulders and held her chin up just a bit higher. "I believe that both sides could benefit from a truce, or treaty of some kind. Even if it would only lessen the bloodshed." She glanced at Fykes, who was smiling widely at her. She hoped he was right about Graiden. "And I believe you and a leader of Sahn-Raidar are the only ones who could create grounds for such a truce to stand on."
Avris kept her chin high, studying Katerin's eyes with intensity. "They have attacked us many times," she said.
Katerin nodded sharply, "I know. They had a lack of information—believing you to be allied with the Lizard-folk who have been killing scores of men and women, both here and in Sahn-Raidar."
"Very well. Should you convince this man of your idea, send word. I will give a meeting place." She held out a hand, and dropped a small stone into Katerin's palm. "You may find this useful, should you need to speak with me."
"Thank you, my lady," Katerin said, keeping her smile in place, and wondering how she was going to get Graiden to agree, or even hear her out on the matter as she stared at the small carved stone in her hand.
Avris stood once more, gesturing them to their feet. "Please, enjoy the hospitality of our home today. I will have a guide for you in the morning to show you the shrine and get you back to your own," she paused as they offered their thanks. "And though you look finely equipped, Do'vak will open our stores for you. If you should need anything to better prepare yourselves to fight Val'esis."
It took them a full day to reach the shrine. The woodland around it looked thinned, almost ill. The ground was marshy and decaying. An odor clung to everything, with an acidic property that clung to their noses like glue.
"Where is that smell coming from?" Katerin hissed from beneath the arm she held over her face.
Fykes shrugged, from behind his own arm.
Arjiah stood father back in the trees with Ra'liel and Sa'leid, who had refused to come any closer due to the energy of the place. Though Katerin had a feeling that it was more on account of the smell than the place itself.
"It won't be hard to remember, at least," Arjiah remarked with a grimace.
As they crept closer, they entered a small clearing. Perfectly circular with a number of trees that had rotted and fallen over, marring the soft ground. The grasses thinned, the soil turned to soup, and the smell grew more intense the closer they got.
Perfectly in the center of the clearing sat a squat, stone building. Circular and close in appearance to the Ihmu'tahd buildings they had found, but constructed of the wrong material. It was old, but not ancient. The ground between them and the building had a thick green sludge that puddled in places, with smoke rising up from it. Faint popping sounds were the only noises.
It should not be here. Brazen told her, The ground here is not meant for this.
What's causing it? She asked him.
He shook his head, looking at her with his too-bright eyes. I don't know. It's not right.
"This isn't going to be pleasant," she said, her face scrunching.
Fykes shook his head, his eyes watering from the stench. "We know where it is, now... let's get out of here."
As they crept back to their guides, Katerin could not help but agree with their insistence on staying away from the area. Whatever was happening was not natural. For acid like that to appear in only five months, and considering the way it spread, it was obviously magical. Though, what had created the effect, she had no clue.
Sa'leid was already moving off into the forest to find a good place to let them camp for the evening. A place as far from the shrine and its ill ground as possible. The trek to the shrine would add another day of travel to get them back to the town, but no one seemed to mind. Ra'liel and Sa'leid made excellent company.
Katerin wondered what she was going to do. It was not a long wait, she supposed. Almost a month was not that much, when she really thought about it in the span of things, but part of her still expected to be thrown into a cell if anyone should learn of the library, and any time wasted could mean losing the tentative grasp of the trail she finally had.
The idea of peace between Sahn-Raidar and Ky'lei'mei was an interesting endeavor, in her mind. One that she hoped would go well, if she was able to convince Graiden of it. She supposed she should attempt to meet Byron instead, but she had already met Graiden, and while he was gruff and somewhat uncaring, he did seem wise. Maybe he would be wise enough to stop the pointless bloodshed.
On the trip back to the town, Katerin found herself growing quite comfortable with the forest. Her traveling companions taught her much about tracking, hunting, edible plant life, and the beasts and insects that roamed at every hour. How to find water, and everything else she might need to know to survive in such a place. It was a mass of knowledge, but one she enjoyed practicing.
Brazen told her tales of the Ihmu'tahd and shared his surprisingly deep knowledge of combat tactics on near every scale. She drank it all in, keeping everything in her mind for later reference. If this was the knowledge she needed to succeed, to be strong enough and competent enough to do what she came here for, then she would take every piece of knowledge they gave her. She did not think that the tactic employed in a siege battle would be useful, but if it ever came up, she would much rather know what to expect.
Ra'liel and Sa'leid left them the morning before they reached the town, bidding them goodbye and safe travels. As they got closer to the town, Katerin grew more and more uneasy. A few days, that's all it will be, she told herself over and over. Nothing bad would happen, and then she would move on, go home to her bustling city of terrible smells and arrogant people, and live out her life as a scholar in peace. Still, nagging doubt remained, eating away at every breath and tarnishing every stray thought.