Aerysdren would have loved the Khaishrik village.
Nestled deep in the woods and settled right next to a small river, it seemed very isolated from the rest of the world. Walking into its outskirts seemed like a breath of fresh air to Varenyl, Lorthrendel, and even Ragnus. On the edge of the river were small fishing boats and racks, and small, cute little huts made of wood and sticks were placed throughout the village in rows. It wasn't very large; Varenyl estimated the population to be around one hundred and fifty at most.
But it was the people themselves that caused Varenyl and Ragnus's eyes to widen. They were just as Lorthrendel had said; humanoid cats, standing around the average height of a human, their bodies covered in fur. The companions halted when a group of children suddenly huddled close to them, their clawed fingers waving at them and timidly touching them in awe. Their feline eyes gazed at them with a large amount of amazement and curiosity, and not an ounce of fear.
Ragnus recoiled from their touch but at a harsh glance from Lorthrendel he begrudgingly forced himself to relax, grumbling into his beard as a child grabbed his arm.
Lorthrendel bent down on one knee and looked at the Khaishrik that seemed to be the oldest; she (or at least Varenyl and Ragnus assumed that they were female) had soft grey fur and glittering blue eyes. She smiled at the mage.
"You are one of the smoothskins, yes?" she said in her own tongue. "Like the ones the Ageless One tells us about? You are so strange looking."
"My friends and I need to speak to the Ageless One, child," Lorthrendel told her in a gentle voice, struggling with the language. "Can you please take me to her?"
The Khaishrik vigorously nodded her head up and down and took Lorthrendel's hand in her own. "Of course I can!" she grinned. She turned to the other children and scowled, flattening her ears back. "Hey! Stop crowding them so much! Back off! Now, come with me, smoothskin. The Ageless One is right over here in the temple."
Before Lorthrendel could even stand up, the girl started to pull him along with her, forcing him to jump to his feet or fall face first in the dirt.
He cast a slightly annoyed glance back at Ragnus when he heard the dwarf snicker. He angrily gestured for the two men to follow him as the girl pulled him along.
The villager's curious gazes followed the companions as they were marched through the town by the crowd of children that clung to them. It wasn't a hostile curiosity though; it was a welcoming one, and they did not look at them for long. If anything Ragnus and Varenyl stared at them for far longer.
As they walked through the village, a cool breeze blew off of the river and thunder clapped in the distance; a storm was going to roll in soon. At the sound of the thunder, the children crowding around them jumped and looked up at the sky through the trees. The villagers began to bring their things inside their homes.
"Oh no!" The girl leading them covered her mouth with her free hand, still keeping a tight grip on Lorthrendel's hand. "The Mad God is about to open up the skies! We must hurry. My mama will yell at me if I am not home before the sky cries." She pulled him along faster.
The girl led them to a larger hut set around the river. She finally let go of Lorthrendel's hand (allowing him to stand up straight at long last), opened the door and gestured for them to go inside with a big grin on her furry face. "She awaits inside, smoothskin."
"Lorthrendel," Ragnus growled just as the mage was about to step in. "Are you sure about this?"
Lorthrendel cast him a cold glance but said nothing. "Thank you for taking us, dear," he said to the girl, slightly bowing his head. He ignored Ragnus and walked on inside the hut, Varenyl and Ragnus reluctantly following suit. The khaishrik girl slowly shut the door behind them, scolding the other children who tried to follow them inside.
Like the rest of the shelters in the village, the hut had no windows and was instead lit by candles. Though it was larger than the rest, it was still rather small; it was only one, oval shaped room adorned with a round, wooden table and chairs, and a small fire. Thunder clapped again and lightning slightly illuminated the hut as they entered. Rain started to pour, but surprisingly it did not leak through.
The child had said that this place was a temple, but it looked nothing of the sort. The only little aspect about it that made it seem a temple was a small shrine on the wall opposite to the door, with a cloaked figure kneeling in front of it. Lorthrendel raised his hand for Varenyl and Ragnus to halt. He took a few steps towards the shrine.
"Pardon me, Ageless One," he said after a moment of hesitation. "I-"
At the sound of his voice, the figure stood up and turned towards them. In the dim lighting, the companions could see that she had black fur with a splotch of white around her nose and cheek, with white dots on her ears. She was dressed in long, sweeping grey robes and had black dreadlocks that swept down her back. She stared at Lorthrendel with narrowed, glittering green eyes.
"Why is she looking at you like that?" Ragnus grumbled to Lorthrendel, his hand creeping to his weapon. "She shivers my skin."
"Your voice seems so familiar...," the Ageless One muttered, her head cocked to the side. She slowly walked over to him, her hand gripping a cane. "You are an Eastern Fae, yes?"
"I am indeed," Lorthrendel cast her a small smile, "but I was raised by two Khaishriks. Perhaps you remember them, Ageless One? Kishira and Ab'jahirr Siradavi."
The khaishrik's eyes widened. She covered her mouth with her hand and gasped. "By my whiskers, it's you! It's really you! Lorthrendel! Shanir bless me, it's you!" She practically leapt to the mage and wrapped her arms as tight as she possibly could around his midriff. "Lorthrendel...I thought I would never see you again," she wept.
"My apologies." Lorthrendel awkwardly hugged her back. He cast a baleful eyed glance back at Ragnus and Varenyl. "You've...aged, haven't you?" he slowly asked, looking down at her. The cane, the splotches of white in her midnight fur, her slow and hesitant movements....
"Something is very, very wrong, my dear cub," the Ageless One muttered into his chest. "However, we can discuss that later." She pulled away and looked up at him, tears in her eyes. "Shanir bless me though, Lorthrendel...look how tall you've gotten!" She grinned. "And handsome and strong!" She squeezed his arm. "I remember friend Kishira used to tell me you were too skinny. I am happy you gained weight."
She pulled his hair over his shoulders, lovingly running her fingers through his silky tresses. "But oh, she and friend Ab'jahirr would be so proud of you!"
Lorthrendel gave a small chuckle. "Well...I have my doubts about that." He gently removed her hands from his hair.
"We have all made mistakes in our life, Lorthrendel," said the Ageless One. "The longer you live, the more you make. What matters is that you learn from them in the end." She smiled sadly at him. "Shanir...I can't believe that you're really back...." She shook her head. "Alas, I suppose you did not decide to drop by on a social call alone?"
"Unfortunately no."
"Oh, of course you didn't." The Ageless One replied. She rolled her eyes and defensively crossed her arms over her chest. "Two hundred years and you could not even write me - the woman who told you about your natural gift for magic and gave you your first spellbook - a letter." Her eyes narrowed.
"Ah, well-" Lorthrendel rubbed the back of his neck. "I am a busy man, Ageless One-"
"And so am I," the khaishrik shot back. "But oh, what do you want then?" She looked behind him at Varenyl and Ragnus, who were staring at her and Lorthrendel with a mixture of confusion and suspicion. "Who are your smoothskinned friends? One is an elf, yes? And the other a gnome?"
"This is friend Varenyl and friend Ragnus," he said, gesturing to the two men.
The Ageless One gazed at them for a few seconds, her brows furrowing as thunder clapped outside the hut. She glanced up at the sky and sighed. "It's done nothing but storm recently." She looked back to Lorthrendel. "I sense that there were two others with you. What happened to them?"
"Later. We must discuss other matters first," said Lorthrendel.
"These are dark days, Lorthrendel." The Ageless One sorrowfully shook her head. "Please, tell your friends to take a seat. I will make some groiyan." With that, she shuffled over to the cooking spit.
"What was that all about?" Varenyl said coldly as soon as the Ageless One was away. He tightly gripped the handle of his axe and frowned.
"She'll talk to us." Lorthrendel awkwardly fixed his hair and cleared his throat.
"Then why is she over there, making gods' know what?" grumbled Ragnus. He sneezed vehemently. "Damn fur."
"She is making groiyan."
"And that is...?"
"It's a...drink that is always shared between a host and guests here. It's a bit like tea." Lorthrendel nodded. "Except it tastes disgusting and smells like a rotting corpse. But you have to drink it," he quickly added with a glance at the two men. "It's a sign of respect and thankfulness."
"I do not accept strange drinks from strange people," Varenyl retorted.
At the elf's words, Ragnus lifted a bushy grey eyebrow. "Is that why you went to a shady bar in Rosepoint that one night? 'N ordered a strange drink from a strange person?"
Varenyl scowled. "That was different, dwarf. I-"
"She told me to tell you all to take a seat," Lorthrendel intentionally interrupted them with a scowl. "You can both sod off. I am so sick of arguing. I've had more than enough, believe me." He angrily pulled a chair out and gestured for them to sit.
"Oi laddy, you can shove it." Ragnus stomped over to the table and sat down, sulking.
Varenyl frowned again and remained standing. He looked at the Ageless One, then back to Lorthrendel. "Do you think it would be wise to show her the amulet?"
"She is our only chance at help, Varenyl. I hope you understand that." Lorthrendel sat down and drummed his fingers on the rough surface of the table. "She is supposedly the mortal daughter of Shanir himself. That is only legend and speculation, however." He wrinkled his nose as he watched her pour the gaiyan into wooden cups for them. Unfortunately, the downpour outside could not wash away the drink's strong, disgusting smell.
The candles flickered as the wind picked up and thunder continued to roll. Before long they were shrouded in darkness.
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