Book 5: Chapter 6: Yolotli
“Before you drink that,” Valla said, touching her fingers to the silver flask as though to keep him from immediately chugging it down, “let’s talk about what you want me to do while you’re out. We don’t have the warlord’s cultivation chamber here—you could be out for hours or days.”
“Ah, shit. You’re right.” Victor sighed and stretched his neck, suddenly feeling a lot of tension in the back of his skull. “Should I put it off?”
“Not necessarily. I can go speak to the airship captain, pay him to wait, and take us to Persi Gables when you’re ready. As for ap’Gravin, do you trust me to speak to Yunsha on your behalf should she come ‘round before you wake?”
“Yeah, of course. You know what I’m trying to find out—what did he take from the human student here? What does he know about the summoning spell? Why was his father paying Boaegh to do the summoning? All that stuff. If I’m not awake by the time Yunsha comes, when I do wake up, the contract will be expired. Maybe remind her and the other academy authorities that if they don’t think he deserves punishment, I might decide otherwise. Shit, now that I think about it, maybe it’s best if I’m not there at first; I can already feel my blood getting hot.”
“Understood,” Valla nodded and pulled her hand back. “I’m going to write a message to Rellia. I’ll let her know we’re here and that we should soon be in Persi Gables. I’ll also ask her to get eyes on Lord ap’Gravin, in case you want to follow up with the father.”
“That’s a good idea.” Victor took a deep, steadying breath. He hadn’t been lying—his Core was roiling, and some of his rage-attuned Energy was seeping into his pathways. He firmly pushed it back, clamped down the storm at his center, and forced a smile. “Thanks, Valla.”
“You’re welcome. I’ll keep people away from here until you’re done.”
“Perfect. I think I’ll write a message to Lam before I drink this.” Victor held up the heavy flask and then turned toward the center of the room and sat down on the floor.
“That’s probably a good idea. I’m sure she’s worried, and I doubt Rellia relays every message I send her way. While I was down having breakfast, I heard some merchants speaking about the airship—it had already been sighted. I’m sure it’s arrived by now. In any case, I’ll be back to check on you soon. ” Valla turned to the door and quickly stepped out.
Victor had been digging through his ring for his Farscribe book and belatedly offered her a wave, but she was gone. Lifedrinker was still at his side, and he rested a hand on her haft, “She wasn’t upset about anything, was she? Seemed like she left in a hurry.”
“I know not. I care not. Will we battle again soon?” Lifedrinker’s sharp, smoky voice filled his mind, and Victor couldn’t help smiling at her savage disregard for anything so mundane as a person’s feelings.
“Probably, beautiful, probably.” Shaking his head, he released her handle and pulled out a pen, one that he’d gotten from Thayla. “Seems like a lifetime ago,” he muttered, then opened a blank page in the Farscribe book.
Lam,
Before you read further, be certain that no one you don’t fully trust reads this message.
I hope you’re doing well. I haven’t written to you much, and I hope you haven’t been too worried. I know Rellia’s been hearing from Valla, so you must know that we aren’t dead. Hopefully, you’ve been fine, keeping yourself busy with your various industries and helping to raise the army. You’ll be glad to hear that Valla and I are back in Fanwath. We’re up in some mountains near a magical school called Fainhallow. We should be in Persi Gables soon, though—Valla’s off trying to hire an airship as I write this.
I’ve learned a lot since we last spoke in person. I mean a LOT. One thing I’ve learned, though, is that nothing beats having a good teacher, and I really enjoyed my time with Polo Vosh. Do you think he’d want to come on the expedition with us? Would you mind offering him an invitation? I need to work on my axe skill, and the most I ever learned about the axe was when I practiced with him. Tell him I’ll be happy to pay—whatever his going rate is, I’ll double it.
I could probably write for a hundred pages about all that we’ve seen and accomplished in the last couple of months, but I’m not a writer, and I’m sure you’ll hear plenty about it through Valla and, of course, from my mouth when we next speak. Let’s just say that we fought some incredible monsters, I battled my way through another arena, and we have a lot of knowledge to share—things that will make whatever society we try to build in the Untamed Marches that much stronger.
A thought occurred to me, though, and I think we should start to take precautions: some of the powerful people we met on Zaafor (the world we traveled to) seemed surprised by the lack of knowledge on Fanwath. The System stones provide for travel to other System worlds, and there should have been travelers to and from this world to other, more advanced worlds. There should be more known here by now. I’m worried that the old powers in the Empire are hoarding knowledge and that they won’t be pleased with what Valla and I have brought back.
What route are we planning to take to the Untamed Marches? Will we pass through the heart of the Empire or skirt it? It might be wise to consider a circuitous route, one that will be more difficult to predict, one where we might avoid, more easily, ambushes or other trouble. I know you and Rellia are working hard to build a strong force, but will it be enough if the Empire moves against us, even if they do it in secret?
These thoughts have been heavy in my mind as I learned more and more about the deficiencies in Valla’s training and knowledge—she’s Rellia’s favored scion, yet she’s been misled for much of her life. If that’s happening to her, then how far out of the inner circle is Rellia? How far removed are the nobles in Persi Gables and Gelica from the center of the Empire, the older cities? I guess the point of my rambling here is that we should be prepared for problems coming from places other than the Untamed Marches.
“They have tails like monkeys but scales rather than fur! They bear horns and have eyes that blaze like embers in the dark! They are tall and strong, flinging my people about with their clawed hands. They are savage and cruel, eating the flesh of our women and babes while they yet live! As we kill one, four more spring from chasms in the earth, great fiery pits that blaze with strange magic and reveal weird worlds beyond their flickering flames. They speak in clicks and hisses, words that make no sense to our ears, and refuse any sort of parlay. We seek your aid, great Yolotli; only the Quinametzin can crush these devils!”
“Devils? An apt designation. Again, I ask, why would we help you? Did your people not attack us once, thinking we were too few to stand against your verminous numbers?”
“A lesson we learned much from, Mighty One!” Toltecatl fell to his face in the grass, his hands in the air, and wailed, “Please! Please help us! Even now, a band of the devils approaches one of our cities!”
“A band? Do they not send an army?”
“They don’t need an army so savage are they! For every devil, we lose a hundred fierce Olmec warriors!”
“And who were these,” Yolotli gestured to the blood and the pyre beyond it.
“Invaders from the north! We captured them as an offer to your glory!”
“If you truly wished to honor me, why not bring me one of these devils you so fear?”
“Great Yolotli! Every battle we fight with the devils brings us great loss! Any offering of their kind would be pitiful. Surely, this great sacrifice is a better honor!”
“How many warriors have you here? I do not wish to count your tiny bodies.”
“Before you are one hundred warriors! The greatest of my people!”
“Very well. I will take you and this one hundred, and we will meet this band of devils. Stand up, small ones.”
“Oh!” Toltecatl’s voice wavered, and Yolotli heard the gasps of his people, his “greatest” warriors. “But, great Yolotli, we are not a match for the devils. Surely you should get more of your kin and crush them! Send them back to the realm from which they crawled.”
Yolotli might have been patient for her kind, she may even have had a bit of a warm spot in her heart for these little people, but this chieftain was beginning to wear on her nerves. She took two steps forward and snatched him up, gripping one of his scrawny arms and lifting him so she could look into his war-painted face. “You will never grow strong if you do not fight for yourselves. I will guide and help you, but if you wish to throw these devils out of your lands, you will bleed in the battles to come.”
“Yes,” he whined, grimacing as the tendons in his shoulder strained. Yolotli dropped him and then turned to the kneeling Olmecs. She unleashed her aura, shaping it to grant boons to these little folk, wrapping it around them, giving them courage and strength. At the same time, she let it ripple out around the clearing, relieved to let it hang heavy in the air around her. Any enemy that came near would feel it and beware.
The Olmecs howled in delight and fervor, standing up and grasping their macuahuitls, lifting them into the air. They began to chant some rhyme about killing and ravaging their enemies, and Yolotli smiled; they were like children, but they had an enthusiasm that warmed her heart. “Are you pleased, children? Do you feel my might, my bravery? I share it with you that we might smite your foes and drive them from these lands. Remember this great honor, and always respect my people—few are as kind and would just as soon squash as help you.”
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Victor’s eyes snapped open, and he felt extremely disoriented momentarily as he stared at the wooden planks above his head. He licked his lips, dry as sandpaper, and coughed, trying to circulate some saliva around in his mouth. He saw System messages waiting for his attention, but his eyes felt blurry.
“That wasn’t so bad,” Valla said from somewhere to his right. He blinked several times as she continued, “You were only out for three days, though I’ve never seen someone so still; I barely could tell you were breathing.”
“I,” Victor croaked. He licked his lips and swallowed again. Finally feeling some moisture on his tongue, he tried again, “I saw a different ancestor.”
