Through the Pores of the Earth
57th of Spring, 513 A.V.
57th of Spring, 513 A.V.
“You know, you’re not as bad as they said you were,” Azeus said all of the sudden as the two Drykas rode slowly through the grass side by side – the other two rode some yards back, entirely uninterested in closing their distance. The young hunter had said it with such conviction that it almost made her laugh.
Instead, Vallora reserved it into a small smile. That’s decided then, she liked this particular hunter. “Thank you, Azeus. You’ve been surprisingly friendly,” she replied softly. Her hands on the yvas loosened as she turned to look at her newly made friend. He looked like the typical Drykas man, hair braided with green beads and Windmarks coiling his muscled arms. “I can’t help it, but I have to ask. How did my brother convince you to do this?”
Earlier, before they headed into the wilds, Xaven had accompanied her as she waited for the men that were assigned to go with her. The presence of her brother had only meant one thing – another attempt in his lame matchmaking. He had been setting up his hunter friends to go on trips with her, hoping that she will find someone compatible. It was completely ridiculous and disastrous. When she pleaded with him to let her be, he ignored her request, pointing out that she wouldn’t be able to find a partner by herself.
“He didn’t say much,” Azeus explained plainly. He looked back at his two hunter friends before turning back to her. “He told me that he needed a favor from a friend to keep track of his little sister. He said you’re just a bit reserved and I’d have to get you talking, because you won’t start the conversation.” And he did. At first he kept talking about himself and Endrykas and random things that were not important. She liked it. It meant she did not need to talk. From his stories she could glean that he was not such a bad person.
Vallora raised an eyebrow. “And you just said yes?”
He shrugged like it was no big deal. “I don’t see why not. And I have to admit, I was curious about you. I’ve heard some things about your family, and upon knowing your brother, I know it’s not true. You’re definitely not the sickly girl everyone thought you were. No weak girl would be here with a quiver on her back and a bow strapped to her horse, traveling with men she did not know.”
All of the sudden, Talvael stopped, neighing twice. Vallora took it as her cue and told the three hunters to stop. Gracefully, she jumped off her horse as she had oftenly done. As soon as her feet landed on the ground, she knew this was not a bad site to find some groundwater. She paced around for a moment, trying to get the feel of the earth beneath her. When she was satisfied, she stopped and turned to the men who had followed her.
“Maybe, you’ll want to stay back,” Vallora warned. Her Res control was still crude and messy. It was not a rare even for her to lose control. Even though the Res-turned-water might not be as dangerous as fire or rock, but she didn’t not want to take any chances.
Azeus and the other two stepped back. They watched her with interest, folding their arms in front of their chests as they waited.
Vallora knelt down on the ground and turned her palm up. She closed her eyes as she gathered her concentration. Mentally she strained, forcing her Res to gather on her palm. She could feel the fluid ripping off her whole. Reimancy had always been a rather interesting experience. It was almost like throwing a part of yourself away. Her muscles tensed with the effort. Djed pulsed inside of her body, definitely shifting.
Her eyes flicked open and she gasped silently. Slowly, an orb of clear, dark blue Res was formed on her hand. It was not much, but it should be enough to attract water hidden under the ground. Next thing she did was changing the first layer of her Res into water.
Without wasting anymore time, Vallora slammed her palm upon the ground, making sure her Res seep into the pores of the soil. This earth was still slightly wet and it would allow her to absorb soil moisture and just some water located deep in its aquifer. She could every Res that had gone into different reaction, going deeper and deeper into the ground. She controlled the liquid matter around, trying to pull as much water as she could. It was almost like her very limb was traveling in the soil, breaking and regrouping as it passed through layers of rock and earth. Water gathered towards her Res, mashing up into one. When she thought she had enough, slowly she guided all of them together once more until it rested on the ground right beneath her palm.
Now comes the harder part. Gingerly, she moved her hand up along with her body. It was a delicate work for she could only control her Res with one hand right now. Her Res slowly rose in the shape of a clear long blob. When the last of it had left the ground, her other hand came to assist. She pulled her hand apart, shaping the water into a thin stream so it would flow easier into the pack.
“Can you help me get the water pack?” she asked with a shaky voice. For a moment she worried that no one had actually heard her.
Hurriedly, Azeus came over with the empty water pack – it was slightly bigger than the normal pack, the kind used for gathering water – opening it for her and holding it up. Carefully she guided the water and her Res toward the container, slowly filling it up. Her Res was still controlling the water and so the water was coiled like a snake. With more effort, she transmuted all of her Res into water. By the time she was done, the water had simply filled half of it.
Then she repeated the process again and again. There were three men here with her right now and she needed to use to that advantage. More men meant more water could be carried. Maybe pushing a bit more would not mean too much. But it meant taking some time doing it.
Vallora was half-way feeling up the fifth pack, when the older hunter, Alec, suddenly called her out, “How much longer is this going to take?” Vallora did not answer – she couldn’t. As she kept her silence the man walked towards her, she could feel his presence coming near. She strained some more trying to speed up the process more. There was not much different, though. She was already exhausted. And when, the hunter placed a hand on her shoulder, her attention shifted reflexively, breaking her djed flow. The water shuddered before it splashed onto the ground. Alec was so surprised that he jumped back.
Vallora cursed in her mother’s tongue for a few seconds before switching back to Pavi. “Shykes, I have no intention to be rude or anything, but I have specifically told you not to come close.” She slipped a wild strand of her hair behind her ear as she looked up at the obviously bigger man.
“You can just start again,” the man offered gingerly, clearly realizing his mistake. “We’ll wait this time.”
She shook her head and sighed. “I can’t. I . . . I don’t think I could risk releasing more djed.” It was true, already the exhaustion had taken over her body. The vein on her temple was pulsing. She was also covered in sweat, like she had physically strained herself. “We probably could go now.”
The men talked among themselves as they climbed up to their respective Striders. Azeus came to her and helped her to mount Talvael. “Are you sure you’re alright? You look like you’re ready to pass out.”
Vallora shrugged and waved his concern away. “Yes, I am quite alright. I probably looked worse than I felt.” Azeus nodded and left to mount his own horse.
When they had rode in front of her, Vallora paused for a moment and opened the small vial that hung down from her neck. Black spots clouded her vision and the headache she was having worsened. Talvael neighed nervously, but his rider simply patted him gently. Swiftly, she poured the liquid into her mouth and placed the cap where it belonged. No one saw anything.
Azeus was wrong. She was the girl from the stories. She was a sickly girl.
