Part II: The Conflict
No more peace at Pervalme Village
Let's see if we can find Myrreos somewhere in this lovely village. Yes! There he is, leaving a swift meal restaurant with some leftover sauce in his now full grown beard, his hood pulled over his face again. While the Treaty of Pervalme is a historic event of great magnitude, it's not a blessing for our friend here. He lived peacefully in the village for almost a month before the first diplomats and guests arrived.
Myrreos had surely hoped to go unnoticed, but among even the first arrivals were some
Ferinta officials. He had recognized a few and panicked. Understandingly so, I might add. One woman of the merry Ferintans was an illustrious, vengeful court member who wanted to attack the Tsintali dam after the assassination of the queen, Myrreos' mother. She would surely drag him back to Ferinta to fulfill his kingly duty, no questions asked. He had always feared her to some extent, and now too, she looked fierce. A stern expression on her face, a simple dress made of expensive fibres and a long scimitar hanging from her belt. She definitely seemed ready for *ahem* diplomacy.
The chase
So Myrreos hadn't slept much in days and had only gone out to eat at that swift meal restaurant at the farthest end of town. Far away from the bustling center. But well, even that area is now riddled with people. And back over his face went the hood - I dont' like that hood.
It's night time, half of the old street lanterns are illuminating the red cobble stoned streets for the occasion. You want visitors to feel festive and bright, even at night, I assume. You want them to visit the bars and sing-alongs and theaters to get the economy going. During the year, it's way too expensive to keep those lights on though. You might say it's because of all this light Myrreos' identity is quite out for grabs.
It didn't take them long. A tall man with high cheek bones and wearing a fancy cape (he looks strikingly like Myrreos himself I might add) seems to be following our friend. It seems Myrreos is on to him though. Good. He's walking faster now, turning a corner swiftly. Good. But it seems to have no effect. The tall man is still on his tail.
Myrreos, look out! Within a seemingly eternal second, four mad things happen. The tall man grabs Myrreos by the one arm after a quick run. His face is revealed and it turns out it's his brother, who murmurs to him "You won't claim your crown under my watch, deserter" and yanks Myrreos' talisman from his neck. At that time, Myrreos shouts "isson" at the talisman, and he disappears.
Isson
"isson" means "blink" in English for you Earthling readers. It's a command ushered to a carrier of magical essence, the talisman in this case. If done correctly and after many years of training, the caster can make oneself disappear from one place and reappear in another with this specific command.
This worked for Myrreos, but not entirely. The spell has a limited area of effect. A cone is erected around the spell caster and anything inside blinks to another place. On the upside, Myrreos is now right in front of a small house's open door. Sadly, he finds himself without the talisman and his left lower arm. Luckily, the magical cone has scorched the wound, so apart from the pain, Myrreos is not in danger anymore.
In the lights of the doorway, a scruffy old lady nods at him, turns around swiftly and enters the house. She's the owner of Myrreos' favourite Pervalme cliff garden. Myrreos follows her without hesitation. Even if it's a trap, does he have a choice? Soon his brother is bound to find him.
Through caverns deep
Myrreos seems to trust the old scruffy lady. I mean, I can't blame him. Her rare smile does reveal a daring side to her. She pushes aside a heavy old
Blue Poppy stove with a heavy sigh. It hasn't been used in a while it seems, as an array of plants and household items are riddled all over it. A stairway into an - apparently secret - basement is revealed.
Myrreos walks over to the stairway which descends into a dark corridor. The scruffy lady smiles at him again and hands him a map. She says: "Down beneath my basement is a mine shaft. Follow this map once you reach it and you can find the foot of the cliffs. Good luck." And she pushes Myrreos into the stairway. She should be more careful, if you ask me.
She's just covered up the stairway when a few arythmic bangs make the door rattle in its hinges. The scruffy lady walks over and opens it with a sigh. It's Myrreos' brother, as we expected. His eyes are filled with rage - and fear? His existence must really scare him. It's uncanny. But don't tell me he will hurt the good lady for helping Myrreos.
The brother commands her to tell him where he went. It's the last house in the street, so Myrreos has to be there. Two of his henchmen look around the small but cozy home and shake their heads. Then, he grabs the good lady by her neck and looks her in the eyes, peering into her soul. He clenches the grip of his short sword. This is it. The lady closes her eyes. But then he let's go and grunts violently. He gestures his gang to leave and takes off. Phew!
A corridor rarely travelled
I hope the good lady will be okay after all this. Where is he at now? It seems he has found a torch to light his way and has been running down the basement of the house, through a corridor that's just wide enough to pass and into a section of mines. Now, he finds himself at a muddy crossroads.
Interesting. There's so many routes converging in this one spot. Not easy to find the right one on that old ragged map, only lit by the bouncy lights of the small torch. After some consideration, he turns into a corridor that's not even on the map. What's he up to?
He turns a sharp corner. And another one. Every once in a while, old wooden beams are supporting the rocky ceiling overhead. He then stops briefly at the next intersection, and decides to enter the one corridor that boasts a very dim light at the end of it. A weak and solemn light. I would pull him back if I were with him, but alas. I'm merely a scribe in all this.
What he finds at the end of this corridor is rather shocking and hasn't been seen for over a thousand years. A
Dassaï is floating dormant just in front of the rear wall of the dimly lit cavern. It isn't moving, but surely can't be dead. Even dead Dassaï don't float. Its skeletal face does not look up as Myrreos enters, its eyes - one of the last fleshy parts of a Dassaï - don't look up.
Myrreos seems to be just as shocked as we are. But he's tired. He hasn't been sleeping. He has been running, and he's lost his talisman and his arm. So he sits down on the stone cold floor and stares at the floating Dassaï. Wondering what to do next, clutching the stomp where his left lower arm used to be.
Sit down, my friend, and let me tell you of Aran'sha . A world where the sands shift and the stars sing, where the wind carries secrets and the twin moons keep silent vigil over it all.