After everything was all squared away, Horus, Anwaar, Thas, and I all made our way back up to our cottage where it seemed as if the rest of the ladies were all refreshed from their rest and busy preparing a simple meal of fragrant stew and freshly baked bread.

  “Husband? Is that you?” Shay sang out in her pretty nightingale voice.

  “It is, my wife,” I called back as I sauntered into the kitchen. “And I brought Horus, Thas, and Ana! Zerr, Fasha, and Sskern are coming a bit later. We’re going to have to find a place for them to stay for the time being, if that’s okay. By the way, this smells great.”

  “Oh,” Shay murmured as I kissed her on the side of her temple while she sliced into a modest screecher breast, but when the rest of my words finally caught up with her, she paused and shot me a look. “Wait, why? Not that they aren’t welcome, of course, but it is a little abrupt.”

  “We have your brother to thank for that one,” I chuckled and then tried to nab a piece of crispy roasted skin.

  “What did you do, Horus Doler?” the phoenix-woman growled as she pointed her large knife in his direction.

  “It wasn’t just me!” the falcon-man gasped. “Sskern was the one who wanted to test it inside Fasha’s shack.”

  “The prototype?” Amaya chimed in as she helped her sister comb the remaining debris out of her autumn tresses.

  “It’s pretty amazing,” I said with a grin. “Could be a game changer, and a huge advantage for these people.”

  “That’s wonderful,” Shay said with her megawatt smile and resumed slicing up the screecher.

  I frowned. “That’s not Crackers, is it?”

  “Hah, no!” she said as a laugh startled out of her. “This was given to us after your Trial with the Snake Tree. Where is the little pest, anyway? Did you manage to get your message to Sskern?”

  “I completely forgot,” I said and pulled Griss’ letter out of my trouser pocket. “Shit. Oh, well, he’ll be here along with Zerr, and it might be good to talk to them both at once.”

  “Well, when you do, you can add the other response to it,” Shay said. “It’s out in the lounge on the table. But where is the nuisance of a messenger?”

  “Um, he got spooked right before the commotion at Fasha’s,” I grumbled and went to grab the replies Shay had penned for me. “I’ll have to go find him, I suppose.”

  “Take these,” Thas said and handed me something that looked like a bag of dried blue corn kernels. “It might help lure out the stubborn beast.”

  “Thanks,” I said and headed back outside.

  After spending a few moments wandering around and shaking the bag of feed, I actually bumped into Sskern himself as he made his way from Fasha’s.

  “Alex, my friend,” the raptor-man said as he observed me hollering the word “Crackers” over and over. “What are you in search of?”

  “This stupid screecher,” I grumped and then shook the bag yet again. “Crackers, dammit!”

  “And you are wanting this screecher in particular for…?” Sskern ventured with a perplexed look on his lizard-like face.

  “My son figured out how to turn them into messengers like Roofus,” I explained and pulled the letter from Griss out of my pocket again. “Here. After you read it, let me know what kind of reply you want to send, because we have to send them all together.”

  The Terran Regent took the letter from my grasp and silently read what his uncle wrote about his father, and about us returning to the Upper Echelon sooner rather than later.

  “Hm,” Sskern hummed as he finished reading, and I paused in my ongoing search for Crackers.

  “Hey, man,” I said. “I’m sorry about your father.”

  “Do not be,” he sighed and hunkered down on a fallen log. “Griss already prepared me after Senna was dispatched. He said my father’s mind and body were already so ravaged long before I even left Terr in the first place.”

  “Still,” I added. “Losing a parent is never easy. I mean… I can only assume. I never knew my parents either way, but I’m still sorry.”

  “Thank you.” He nodded his double-ridged head in acknowledgment. “Your condolences are appreciated. To be honest, Uncle Griss has been more of a father to me over the seasons than my real father ever was.”

  “I wouldn’t know, really.” I shrugged and then sprinkled some of the feed onto the ground.

  Maybe a new approach would coax out the stupid animal.

  “Hm,” he hummed again. “Apparently, I also must pick a wife, posthaste.”

  “How do you feel about that?” I snickered. “Settling down.”

  “I admit, I am disappointed my Ambassador days seem to be at their end, but the more time I’ve had to think, the more I’m sure I’m ready to take over for Sskorn and be there for my people in a way he couldn’t.” He took the bag of feed from me and poured a little in his palm.

  “Screech.” A telltale flapping sound could be heard before the nuisance glided down from whatever tree he was hiding in and landed gracefully on Sskern’s forearm.

  “Traitor,” I griped when Crackers began to nibble at the food in the raptor-man’s cupped hand.

  “He is a difficult thing, isn’t he?” Sskern chuckled, and as I observed him sitting there patiently while the screecher ate its fill, it struck me how mellow the man seemed.

  There would always be that fierceness in his reptilian gaze, but a settled demeanor took up residence in his still posture that I wasn’t sure had ever been there before.

  “I think you’re ready,” I said simply, and Sskern tossed me a grateful look.

  “I will reply to my uncle,” he said as he patted Crackers on the back of his scrawny-looking back. It was a wonder the thing could fly as far as it supposedly could.

  “Take your time,” I said and pulled out the other response so I could hand them to him. “When you’re done, do you mind sending Crackers off? All you have to do is tell him the names of the people you want to deliver to. Can you make sure to include Rylan and Jenner?”

  “I’ve got it covered,” he assured, and I thanked him and returned to the cottage to see if there was anything else I could do to prepare for our guests.

  Once the place was as spruced up as it could be, and when everyone was finally enjoying themselves around the table, Zerr finally pinned me with his steely stare.

  “Ambassador,” he began, and I took a swallow of ale so I could clear my throat. “What you proposed to me earlier about convincing the Low-ish to be on board with expanding Terr’s boundaries. An Ascension Accord is one thing my people can agree on, but getting them to embrace Outsiders is another. Why even bother?”

  “To be frank, Leader Zerr, I’ve only been on your island for a short while, but even I can see how dire the situation is. Aside from the civil unrest that, yes, needs to be worked out first and foremost, the island itself is suffering under its own isolation.” I wiped my mouth with a napkin and reached for some warm bread stacked on a large oval platter in the middle of the table. “If you even get an Ascension Accord, you all would only be walking into a situation where agriculture alone is impossible due to the wild and out of control screechers.”

  “We will domesticate them just like we have always done down here,” Zerr argued. “And our skills will make us valuable to the Up-ish who are the only ones my people should even think about currying favor with.”

  “You haven’t seen it like I have,” Sskern chipped in. “There are too many to be controlled without a massive culling.”

  “Then we cull the beasts,” Zerr said and took a vicious bite out of the roasted screecher leg he was eating.

  “You could get rid of them,” I agreed. “Or you can decide to trade the screechers and the squallers to other islands.”

  “And what good will this do?” the alligator-man questioned.

  “According to research done by a reputable expert, Terr is apparently the only isle in Aventoll that has creatures capable of traveling long enough distances,” I explained as I brought my idea to the table. “Terr can be the isle to pioneer the first inter-island communication service that isn’t reliant on cargo ships. It could change the pace of Aventoll as a whole.”

  “I am sensing there is a detail to this I might be missing,” the wise Leader said as he took a sip of ale from his tankard.

  “Well…” I said. “It would also be ideal if some of the Terrans could also volunteer to travel to other islands in order to help train people in the ways of messengers and even passengers.”

  “Passengers?” Fasha queried from across the table where Thas, Sskern, and the Mec sisters sat.

  “That would be for the squallers,” I clarified. “Being able to fly between islands would revolutionize the way people get around as well.”

  “What you propose is intriguing.” Zerr finally leaned back from the table with a satisfied sigh as he picked his teeth with a sharp splinter. “But even if I can get my people to agree with this idea of mingling with Outsiders, I can guarantee the Up-ish will have a harder time coming around. As you may have also discovered during your time here, they are the more prejudiced of the Terran races.”

  “By my calculation, they won’t have a choice but to go along with what the Low-ish end up doing,” I volleyed back.

  “How do you figure?” he challenged.

  “The reality is, the Up-ish need you,” I stated plainly. “They already rely on you to grow their food, and you’ve seen how depleted their security forces are. Don’t you see? The Low-ish hold all the cards. If Terr’s only bread and butter is her steel, and the ore you need to make it is making you all sick, then it stands to reason you need alternatives that can replace the need to mine. The screechers and the squallers are your next commodity. The way I see it, not only are you solving the pest problem as well as your dependence on the poisoned ore, you double down with what you can offer both the Up-ish and the rest of Aventoll.”

  “I see what you are saying,” Zerr said as he visibly worked through the logic for himself. “I have never thought of it this way, but you make a lot of sense, Ambassador Brightwood. The only thing-- or rather, person-- that might give us an issue is Captain Tharfin of the mine-folk, wouldn’t you say, Thas?”

  All eyes turned to the big man, who was in the middle of devouring his third bowl of stew.

  “Um…” he said and lowered his spoon.

  However, the heralding of a loud trumpet rang out somewhere nearby and caused all of us to look around with alarmed expressions on our faces.

  “What good timing,” Zerr chuckled. “It seems as if you won’t have to wait very long to try and persuade the miners after all, Ambassador. They’re here.”

  Chapter 4

  When the horns heralding the arrival of the mine-folk finally went silent, all of us decided to follow Leader Zerr through the village, past the farmlands, and toward the Pit and the ancient Snake Tree the village was named after.

  The first thing that caught my attention was the creepy centipede-like creatures several of the newcomers were riding on, and I watched in fascination as the men guided the giant centipedes to stretch their long bodies over the chasm that separated the village from the mines.

  “Leader Zerr,” the man who was obviously leading the expedition greeted and hopped off his creepy-crawly mount. “It has been a while. How was your last visit to the Uppers?”

  “Lieutenant Vili,” Zerr said and clasped forearms with the man who resembled Thas quite a bit with his large muscles and tattooed bald skull. “The journey was most illuminating. As you can see, I have returned with the newly honored Regent Sskern, and his appointed Ambassador friend from Nata Isle.”

  “I see the rumors about Outsiders are true,” the man named Vili remarked as he looked over my Crew and me with a disdainful eye.

  “I can vouch for them, Lieutenant,” Thas spoke up and crossed his arms in front of his chest. “I will personally escort them to Tharfin myself.”

  “You think the captain will want an audience with Outsider scum?” Lieutenant Vili snorted.

  “No.” Thas shrugged. “But he will want an audience with his son, and it just so happens his son is bringing guests.”

  Oh, man. Of course, there would be more “winning-over-the-locals” or A.K.A getting my new friend’s family to like me.

  “Tch,” the man sneered, but Thas just returned his gaze with that impenetrable stonewall he had.

  I made a mental note to take a page out of Thas’ book and just stare at whoever annoyed me next.

  “They’re coming to Minetown,” he stated, and the Lieutenant seemed to realize it was pointless to argue.

  “We shall see,” Vili rumbled in his deep voice. “For now, my sergeants and I will carry on like usual. Once we have loaded supplies and medicines, we will depart for Minetown tomorrow morning. But I will not take them if you are not here, Thas.”

  “Don’t worry,” he bit back. “I will be.”

  The Snake Tree thrummed at this, and it was something I wasn’t sure if I’d imagined the sound or not.

  By mutual and silent agreement, we let Zerr take the lead as he finished filling in the Lieutenant on the status of things after the last RSE.

  It was only natural from that point for my Crew and I to break away and haul ourselves back to the cottage so we, too, could prepare for what sounded like another expedition.

  However, my mind had somehow chosen to linger over the strangeness I felt when I was back in front of that sentient tree, and the harrowing experience of the Trials came back to me in a way I didn’t want to dwell on for too long.

  During my Trial of the Mind, I was confronted by the ancient tree spirit, and it managed to illuminate the current affliction I was having due to the way the corrupt Chamberlain, Senna, had attempted to wreck my mind.

  The wily bastard was unsuccessful in his attempts, and ultimately he paid for it with his life, but that didn’t mean there wasn’t some damage left behind.

  As it was, I had found it impossible to meditate ever since.

  Which, as an Asher, and a Traveler to boot, meditation was a practice necessary to keep us fine-tuned and functioning. So, if I didn’t get a handle on the accursed ringing-slash-pain in my head soon, I would begin to experience much more than discomfort or trouble sleeping.

  That night, as I curled up with my three lovers all together in the biggest room of the cottage, I tried not to let the anxious feeling get the best of me.

  Of course, trying to “suffer in silence” when I was surrounded by the people who knew me best was impossible.

  And that was without factoring in the reality one of them was a bonafide touch-telepath.

  “My love?” Zoie finally broke the silence we all tried, and failed, to ignore. “What is it?”

  I sighed and cuddled them all close as I searched for the right words.

  “There’s another reason I need to go to Minetown,” I finally confessed in the darkness of the room. “The Snake Tree told me how I might be able to get my head in order. Apparently, there is someone by the name of ‘Mozz’ who is supposed to be able to help me, but other than their name, I don’t know anything else.”

  “Is the pain very bad?” Shay asked.

  “No…” I said slowly. “Not for the most part. But I know my performance will begin to really take an impact soon, if it hasn’t been affected already.”

  “We’ll make sure we help you find this Mozz,” Amaya declared as she tangled her legs with as many of ours as she could. “And in the meantime, I can be sure to bring a jar of some of that healing clay.”

  “Alright,” I yawned as I snuggled down into the bed.

  I really was in good hands with these women, and as long as I didn’t push it too hard with anything time-trance related, I would be fine.

  And with that peaceful thought in mind, I fell into a dreamless, yet restful, sleep.

  Morning, like always these days, came howling in all too early, and the way I felt mildly hungover just reminded me I wasn’t operating in tip-top shape. Then my contentment from last night evaporated slightly when I realized the ringing in my head was the cause of me waking up earlier than everyone else.

  Soon, however, everyone was up and dressed, and we made our way to the village outskirts. Unfortunately, I grew grumpier and grumpier the longer we trekked toward the edge of the village, and by the time I could make out the silhouette of the gnarled tree, I was grinding my teeth in agitation.

  Thas was already there with that dickbag Lieutenant and his three creepy centipedes, and two of the three insect mounts were loaded up with various crates and sacks while the third did its best Bridge Impression over the crack in the abyss.

  The two Terrans also looked like they’d just got done arguing, if the pissed-off fuming noises were anything to go by.

  “Ready?” Vili barked, and without waiting for a response from anyone, he gestured jerkily to his two sergeants, and we were all officially setting out for another unexplored part of Terr Isle.

  One of the most disorienting things about traversing Terr was just how multi-faceted and paradoxical this strange place really was. By all rights, it should feel like we were all descending deeper into the odd hollowed-out talon shape of the island, but for some reason, our expedition led us to traversing some steep slopes.

  We were clearly going uphill, though, since what little sunlight that managed to filter down from the top was fading the deeper we went.

  It was trippy, and I wondered at the physics of this magical world, but that confusing question plus the incessant ringing in my ears had me turning toward Horus in a bid to distract myself.

  “Hey, H,” I said.

  “What?” he grunted as he scrambled over a boulder.

  “Tell me more about these awesome swords you forged for me,” I suggested.

  “You only fought with the one so far, huh?” Horus clarified.

  “Yeah,” I chuckled when I remembered how he’d just finished cutting and forging only the first one of my dual swords when a Red Sky hit, and I needed to take care of some business. “There wasn’t time for you to forge the second one.”

  “Oh, yeah,” he said with his trademarked roguish grin. “I almost forgot.”

 

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