Timestamp: 55th of Summer, 522 A.V.
The ship called The Dark Runner landed on the northern side of The Maw at the confluence of the North River. This non-descript river was probably one of the world’s shortest, branching off the Syka River and dumping into the Suvan Sea. The ship anchored off shore and it’s crew rowed in to make camp on the south side of North River delta. The Syka River itself continued on eastward less than a mile from their newly formed camp. The Syka River itself raced on past, traveling a few miles more before passing Jellyfish Lake and dumping into the sea near the Saw Mill. The North River, as some called it, had nothing truly around it and was an isolated spot. The only creature that observed the landing of the ships crew and the setting up of the camp was one of the old ones that was a world full of sentient bat-like men and women, an old creature that called the Cheenga Ruins home.
Zithas came in quietly, on silent wings in the night, and observed the newcomers sitting around their campfires. They’d cleared heavy jungle brush to camp, and were already strewn about destroying the fragile beauty of the riparian area along the coast. They left their longboats up on the shore, pulled higher than the tide, so they would not be carried away in the night. The strangers themselves camped in the tree line, just above the beach in the cover of the palms and old trees of the area. That was just fine with the Mulgon. It gave him huge trees to perch in and overlook the newcomers.
And it was soon evident by his sharp hearing that they meant no good.
He listened long into the night, gathering intel. Zithas and indeed The Cheenga Ruins used to be part of a trifecta of Towers that guarded the ancient city of Pavena. These newcomers weren’t the type that Pavena would tolerate, not by the way their conversations were going. They were looking for a lost exploratory party that had vanished in the Winter of 521 mysteriously. They were also looking for two women, one having run away and one having been hidden away as a baby. They were certain the women were involved with the vanishing of the exploratory party, since one had been a part of it. The other had been reported spotted, captured even, by messenger birds before the party had gone silent.
Zithas was no pushover. He knew immediately who they’d were talking about. So he waited until the guards were minimal then dove in while everyone was asleep. Bats were quiet, even giant humanoid bats, and he landed with inhuman grace, hidden from plain sight by magic, next to the cages that held the pigeons that would carry any news or tales of this particular party back to their home. He opened the cage, and though he hated doing it, he slaughtered the dozen or more birds inside. Had he just freed them, the party might have been able to recapture them and would have definitely been tipped off that someone was trying to prevent them from communicating. So instead, he carefully mesmerized the birds, and one by one ate them, making sure to spread their feathers and carcasses around mostly eaten so it looked like something broke into the bird cages for food in the night.
The big Mulgon didn’t like wasting life of any sort, but in this case he felt the slaughter was justifiable. The pigeons wouldn’t survive the jungle, being non-native, and the trip back across the sea wouldn’t be easy for them either. And living behind bars was no way to live. At least he filled his stomach this way, and took the rest of the meat with him to pass out to the other Pavena Guardians as he spread the word they had enemies in their midst.
He’d go to jellyfish lake and talk to Shuuhl. Then he’d swing by and see Sawtooth. Then Brosh would be alerted. Then finally, he’d make the trip all the way to Syka, trusting what Tazrae had said that he wouldn’t be harmed there, and land on the beach side of the big deck. There, he’d pace up the deck and wait, looking for the Innkeeper and perhaps her twin to spread the warning to Syka.
The deck wasn’t empty when Zethas arrived. Instead, it was late in the breakfast rush and several of the Inn residents were actually on the deck eating the remains of what Tazrae had fixed for breakfast. She had made hearty biscuits and had piled them high with a thick milk gravy that was full of well-seasoned sausage. Zethas landed silently, yet he couldn’t be missed. Even Mathias, who was sitting next to Taz’s milk cow on a small portable stool milking her, stopped what he was doing and put the milk he’d drawn aside. The oldest founder had convinced, as a joke, Tazrae that her milk cow was dry and had been stealing her milk all season for his brood of young Gasvik that he cared for as part of his role as a priest of Xhyvas.
Tazrae pretended she didn’t know, and Mathias pretended to have gotten away with it, and together they both shared the cow which is how Tazrae had milk for the biscuits. Randal, as well, was on the deck digging into a pile of the biscuits, pausing with a big forkful lofted halfway to his mouth when Zethas landed. Taz, hearing the deck go absolutely silent, poked her head out and grinned. “Zethas! Nice to see you.”
She knew the other settlers didn’t know the old one. But she tried to make it as normal as possible, as mundane, that he’d decided to fly so far east and drop by. Something was up, probably wrong, and she wanted to make sure nothing bad happened because people misunderstood him for a monster.
Taz beckoned the old one up onto the deck, weaving past were Rhydian sat eating, dropping a brief hand on his shoulder as if to reassure him this visitor was no threat. Then she walked past, out into the sun and smiled. “Mathias, Randal, Rhydian, this is Zethas. He lives at the Cheenga Ruins and is one of the Guardians of old Pavena.” She introduced the creature, who was frightfully tall. The man had to duck to get under the thatched awning of the Inn. Though once under the protection from the sun, he had enough room to stand comfortably.
“I was just serving breakfast. Are you hungry?” She asked, gesturing at a seat, to see if he wanted to sit.
Zethas shook is head. “I do not come for the pleasure of food today, Tazrae. I come because a new ship has landed on the shore of the North River Delta. They are people looking for the people that were … killed in the Winter of 521. I listened as they set up camp. They are from Eyktol. They are looking for that exploration party that was here and sent back word they’d found a woman whom their lord had been looking for for a long long time. Their lord’s granddaughter.” He said, his large dark eyes calm as he stared at Tazrae.
“They are well-armed and number about fifteen warriors and a few slaves that smell kelvic. There are maybe five more that stayed with their ship. I have made sure their communication was cut off. They brought pigeons which is how they got word back to their lord last time that they’d found the lost granddaughter. They made a good snack prior to me coming here. But your settlement must be warned. They are well armed, well trained, and their conversation did not have the nicest bend to it. They want blood on their scimitars. And they won’t stop and talk to ask questions.” He added, glancing at the people on the deck.
Tazrae froze. Her grandfather’s people here? Again… no not again. Last time they’d been here, she hadn’t known and had been captured. That was why her body had scars from knife cuts all over it. She wouldn’t let that happen to anyone else. Taz turned, spotting Rainmere still here still eating in one corner. The woman looked disturbed after hearing Zethas’ words, but hadn’t said anything.
“Rainmere….” Taz started out. “Can you go fetch Buraga and Gracelin. They need to know the settlement is in danger.” She said, glancing back to the two Founders present. “I’m sorry…” She mouthed, knowing she was likely the reason the ship had landed. But Zethas cut her off.
“They came here before they knew you were here. Falyndar is a full abundant land, people always want to settle it. It was the same of the other group that did not live to make it home. You don’t want them to know where you are though. You should ride out and figure out how to deal with them before they get too settled and too comfortable with their surroundings. This means nothing good to anyone in this area.” Zethas said strongly.
Tazrae nodded.
Randal rose then. “Thank you for bringing us this news. Taz… no riding out alone. If we want to be smart about this, we won’t hit them head on… we need to hold a meeting as to what to do then get people out there surrounding them, picking them off a little at a time… we definitely need Buraga and the Rangers and any volunteers we can get for this job.” He said.
Zethas nodded, bowed to Tazrae, and descended the steps to get off the deck. Once he was sure that the settlement was taking this new threat seriously. Now that it was, it was time for him to go. “Taz… come back for more study. You need it.” He reminded her, then unfolding his huge bat wings and flapped into the sky, becoming lost in the direct sunlight overhead in moments.
Taz, just now taking it all in, swore softly under her breath. She glanced around, noting who was there, and left her eyes resting on Rhydian. He caught the glimpse of fear in her eyes before she covered it with resolve.
Words: 1712
