Artemis kept one eye on the Kith girl as she moved, sure to grab a small knife that fit easily in her hand. Her time was running out, she knew. Her bag was halfway full when she decided she had enough for the time being (she had other stops to make, still – other things to steal) and she moved back towards the window.
The girl watched with big eyes while Artemis silenced, closed and stilled the door; she stared at the emptied bag and the jars and boxes being stuffed into it, occasionally sparing a glance toward the two charcoal runes drawn into the wood of the door. On the other side, the man was grumbling at the other side of the room; he hadn't noticed a thing.
She heard the shift as Artemis clambered up to the window, and immediately she got to her feet. There was no question and no hesitation: the girl tied up a cloth with several loaves of bread inside, then she followed Artemis wordlessly, nimble and silent in her movements.
Something shuffled on the other side of the silenced door. They couldn't hear the man's hand on the door handle, nor the shove of his shoulder against the wood. They could, however, hear his grumbled curses. A slow grin spread on the little girl's face, and she lighted out the window after Artemis.
A fog was brewing outside; billows of vapor clouded the alley and spread out into the moonlit street, where several shadowy figures rushed about with torches and lanterns. Many of the townsfolk were engaged in pulling on a set of ropes near the dock, dragging a huge vessel to shore that had lost the ability to steer. Their
heave-ho! voices fell like stones in the mist. The other, smaller boats had been left unattended while the fishermen's efforts were otherwise required.
The Kith girl pulled up the collar of her grimy dress in a poor attempt to hide the iron ring. She padded barefoot behind Artemis, silent and staring around them, keeping an eye out for anyone nearby.
Several narrow alleys led to dead ends, while others opened onto the dock or the farms opposite the sea. Many of those alleys were strung high with clotheslines laden with vibrant tunics and trousers, dresses and socks, waving like flags high above the cobblestones.
Along the main wide road, the clink of the blacksmith's hammer echoed dully, accompanied by a crowd of murmuring voices. The tailor's shop was locked and dark, but the tavern was bright and bustling with all the townsfolk who couldn't find anything useful to do.
She focused on the sun rune she carved into herself remembering the warmth and brightness of the sun she had felt only days ago. Even if she could bring just a piece of that warmth into this world she could present a real case for hope. The Lord of Shadow's reign of terror would not last long.
Anise's voice sounded in their heads, and the two gryphon-riders veered slightly off-course with the shock and unfamiliarity of it. One of them shouted in surprise and banged his knuckles against his helmet, staring desperately across at his comrade -- but the look he got in return told him that she had heard it, too.
And then, the light.
Anise herself began to glow with a warm sunny light. She, herself, was a beacon in the sky; at the center of the light, her tattered dress and injured skin appeared bright and flawless. She was the Light itself.
The gryphons squawked and flapped, falling behind a moment before the riders brought them back under control. They shouted between themselves:
"How do we handle this?" "There's no protocol!" "No outsiders!" "Well she's sure as hell not a Kith!"While they were arguing, the third gryphon swooped underneath Anise and rose up ahead of her. This gryphon was bigger than the others, pale and gray with aged feathers. Its rider was a young girl in full leather armor and helmet, a few years younger than Anise. She looked back over her shoulder at Anise.
"Please let me announce your arrival. You'll frighten the Roost, and that won't help your cause. Follow us."
The great gray gryphon flapped silently, and with enormous grace it reached out with its talons and grasped a wooden perch on an outcropping just outside the Roost. Its rider dropped onto the landing, patted the beast's aged beak, then stepped aside for Anise to land. "Please wait here, I'll get the captain."
While the rider walked away, the blue egg began to whisper to Anise: something was very wrong here.
“Oh, sorry, I was just looking at the lantern, I guess I forgot I was holding it,” she said as she put the lantern on the ground next to her, “Actually, sir, I’m not, um, ‘Palla’. I actually have no idea how I got in your tent, I just woke up here. I was hoping you could help me and, um, maybe tell me where I am?”
"Eh? You're at Gryphon's Roost, little lady! At least, I hope you are. If we're someplace else I think I might be in trouble with my mem'ry again. An old coot like me don't keep up like he used to, hah?" He wheezed a laugh and slapped his knee.
After a moment he coughed, sniffed, and screwed an eye at Naia. "So yer not Palla, huh? What's that funny thing on yer face? Yer from Oyagun-Nai aincha then? They's always got funny things like that."
He glanced down at the Lantern and tapped his gray stubbled chin. "Sun-child, eh? Well, then."
He was interrupted by a voice outside the tent. "Captain, sir!" The tent flap parted, and a girl of about fourteen looked in; she was dressed in leather armor and held a helmet under one arm. She glanced uncertainly at Naia before addressing the old man. "There's somebody here claiming to be the Lady of Light."
"Preposterous!" the old man blurted immediately.
"She has two glowing eggs and seems very convincing, Sir."
"The Lords and Ladies want nothin' ta do with the eggs! This is a doppelganger in league with the Dragon, here for the Lanterns." the old man hollered and huffed.
He looked over to Naia, this time with a sharp and scrutinizing eye. "You, girl, pick up that Lantern and don't let it go. It's very important. You're a sun-child, kid, better get used to it." He shoved his feet in his boots and put on a jacket. "Palla, make sure this impostor never gets her hands on that Lantern. Or this nice girl here."
The girl in armor -- Palla -- stood tall. "Yes, sir." The old man picked up his walking stick strode out past her with hurried authority.
Palla blinked after him, then stared in at Naia. "Uh ..." She glanced behind her, then motioned Naia to come out. "Sorry, you're probably confused. Hi. I'm Palla. We should go quickly before someone sees. I'll explain on the way. Can you wrap that in something so it's not so bright?" She pointed at the Lantern. "And how fast can you run?"
"I apologize from starting with the wrong foot, you see, I don't even know where this place is, or how i got here. all i remember is feeling a flash of pain, and then being in the tent."
He extended his hand to the man, hoping he wasn't about to get dragged of somewhere.
"Name's Lalna, pleasure to meet you"
The burly man's fist tightened in Lalna's shirt collar, and he gave him a deadly glare, completely ignoring the outstretched hand.
"You just
appeared in the tent, huh?" he spat. "Just found yourself in my sister's tent, don't know how you got there, huh?" His face twisted into a hideous snarl. "I'll turn your insides out and make you
choke on them."
He pulled back his fist -- but just before he could take a hearty swing at Lalna's face, a walking stick smacked the brute in the back of the head.
"That's a sun-child you nincompoop!" an old man hollered. "What the hell's going on? Two at once! After hundreds of years -- dangnabbit put him down!" He smacked the burly man repeatedly until Lalna was put gently back on his feet. The burly man took a few confused and apologetic steps back, his eyes wide.
The old man stepped closer to Lalna and peered at him with a screwed eye. "I'll give you the short of it, 'cause there's no time." He pointed with his walking stick at the green Lantern. "Guard that with your life. That Lantern brought you here, it can protect you, and it can take you home." His stick pointed out toward the edge of the village. "There's somebody here now calling herself the Lady of Light. She wants that Lantern. Under no circumstances can she have it. Ya understand? Good. Now skedaddle. Run. 'Fore she ketches ya. Find the Witch." He smacked Lalna upside the head and pointed toward the trail that led into the trees and down the back of the mountain. With that he spun around and hobbled resolutely toward the edge of the village, never looking back.
The brute and the child stared, dumbfounded, at Lalna. The gryphon put its head down and warbled in its throat, watching Lalna.
The old man went out to meet the so-called Lady of Light. As soon as he caught sight of her, he stood still and watched her with a skeptical frown. She'd have to get through him first.
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