Chapter 4: chapter 4

Geira chuckles at Shana’s glum expression.  More than an hour has passed since they left Ostia and she has been sulking the entire time.  One look at her face would make anyone think that the previous night’s storm had never actually cleared and that they weren’t walking under a glorious sunny sky.

 

“Just to be clear, you will never be allowed to ride on a sky ship.”

 

Shana’s head slowly turns towards her side.  Geira’s sweet smile irks her to no end.  “Yeah?  Then just commandeer one.  Problem solved.”

 

Thea flinches at Shana’s bold suggestion.  Her face twists with unease and anxiousness as she gives a weak, “Shana, that would bring a lot of attention to us.”

 

Geira smacks Vor’s flank and adds, “Seriously, if you want to soar around the clouds, Vor’s more than happy to carry you around.”

 

As Shana glances towards the pegasus, Vor gives an energetic neigh of approval.  Disgust washes over her face at the mere idea of mounting him.  “I’d rather claw my eyes out.”

 

Geira and Thea exchange looks of disbelief at Shana’s overly violent expression.  They understand it means she’s refusing, but they can’t understand why anyone would refuse by saying that.

 

Shana looks to the sky as she adds, “I don’t care about the flying.  It’s the sky ship.”  Her voice picks up in speed and intensity as she continues, “I want to see how it flies, take off its wings, it does have wings, right?  Examine the materials it’s made off, see the kinds of spells that were put into it, figure out how they were weaved together, expe—”

 

“Shana!  Shana!”  Geira grabs the girl’s shoulder.  A firmness laces her voice as she says, “We get it, really.  You are a crazy magical researcher.  As alluring as you are when captivated by your passion, we should focus on the here and now.”

 

A light blush comes to Shana’s cheeks upon realizing what happened.  Normally, she’s pretty mindful of not getting carried away by her zeal, but everything has been off since being bought to the Holy Aelia Empire.  While enduring the heat radiating from her face, she gives a sheepish, “Sorry about that.”

 

Geira chuckles at Shana’s subdued expression.  Then, upon receiving an annoyed glare, laughs out.  “You really are just too cute.”

 

Shana clicks her tongue and snaps back. “Whatever.”

 

Geira laughs some more and continues.  “Anyway, this road is pretty straight forward, but the only reason we're taking it is because the priests recommended it to us.  But what about afterwards.  Do any of you even have a goal, or are we just going to wander wherever the wind takes us?”

 

Thea says, “I would very much like to get away from the coast.”

 

Shana recalls Thea’s panic from the previous night.  If not for what had happened, she’d have set off on her own.  At the same time, she has been getting the feeling that traveling with them might not be so bad.  Their company is more enjoyable than she is willing to admit.  “Well, if you don’t have a destination in mind, how about joining me?”

 

Geira says, “Wait, you mean you actually have one in mind?  Pray tell, Shana.  To where in this vast world doth thy heart yearn for?”

 

“You know what?  You can just stay at the next city.  We don’t need you.”

 

Geira is completely dumbfounded by Shana’s open and direct rejection.  Never in her life has anyone ever dismissed her in such a way.  Even Vor freezes from shock.

 

Shana continues, her tone flat.  “Thea is in agreement.”

Thea jolts at randomly being dragged into their dispute.  She had been nervously looking between the two, worried their spat might break into an actual fight.  As such, she had been trying to find a good opportunity to interject and peacefully resolve the situation.  Now, that she’s been dragged into the thick of it, that plan has been dashed.  Before she can even consider a response, the conversation continues.

 

“What?  Are you even looking at her expression?  Besides, I already promised to protect you both.  And we Nords, we keep our promises.”
“Well, break it.”
“You have no idea what you’re asking.  I’d rather die than break a promise.”
“Yeah?  Well, I’m giving you permission.  It’s fine.”
“It’s not up to you.  The Allfather was my witness.  I will see this promise through.”
“When did this even happen?”

 

Geira is taken aback by the question.  Then, after a moment, says, “Oh, right.  This happened after you got lost.”

 

“I did not get lost.”

 

Geira ignores the correction.  She acts as if Shana never said a thing and recounts her encounter with Lucius, the royal family, and the Apostles.

 

Shana takes in every Geira says without a word.  Then, while doing her best, and failing, to keep her myriad of emotions from her face, says, “Which is how you knew they were in Ostia.  Looks like leaving really was for the best.”

 

“Especially considering your wanted poster.”  As Shana tenses at the remark, Geira adds, “Honestly, Lucius gives me the chills.  I don’t want to have anything to do with him.  The Apostles seemed nice enough though.  Still, I really can’t see them as siblings.”

 

“They’re calling themselves siblings?”  Shana does not keep the amused surprise from her voice.  “Who’s idea was that?”

 

Geira frowns at Shana’s remark.

 

“I honestly thought they were going to kill me.”

 

Both Shana and Geira are taken aback at the sudden comment.  Whatever they were thinking is blown away from their minds.

 

Thea’s hand flies to her mouth upon uttering those words.  She was so relieved that they had somehow moved past their dispute, she got swept along with their conversation and allowed her true feelings to slip out.

 

Growing flustered, she grasps at the first topic that comes to mind.  Half shouting and half slurring her words from the frantic pace she speaks with, she says, “Shana!  You asked if I wanted to join you.  Please, by all means.  Continuing to travel with you both would be my pleasure!”

 

Shana and Geira exchange glances, but don’t say anything more.

 

Instead, Shana grins as she says, “Great.”  She then points at the mountains much further ahead.  They are too far off to be seen, but she points with full assurance that they are there.  “Right now, I want to climb the tallest peak and study the constellations.”

 

This time, Thea and Geira are left dumbfounded.

 

Geira, not bothering to hide her disbelief or ridicule, says, “When we left Ostia, you took the southern road.  I thought you were just following the advice we were given, but that was only because you want to go stargazing?”

 

“Yeah, from multiple places.  I need to triangulate my coordinates before I can even attempt to go home.”

 

Geira rolls her eyes and shakes her head.  She dismisses Shana’s words as nonsense and says, “Sure, sure.  Well, I promised to see this journey through, so if that’s where you want to go, then let’s go.”

 

Thea releases a light sigh at the frivolity of the journey, but truthfully finds the goal satisfying.  While they are still relatively near the coast, the goal will literally take them as far away from it as possible.  Furthermore, neither Shana nor Geira seem like bad travel companions, and should the need ever arise, she can always slip away.

 

“Getting there is going to take a while.”  Geira speaks up after some thought.  “Having Vor fly us will save a lot of time.”

 

“I’d rather run.”

 

Geira gives an annoyed, “Yeah, I thought you’d say that.  Well, in that case, I should warn you.  It’s going to take us about 5 days to leave the forest.  The first city we’ll come across afterwards is Aquileia.  We’ll be able to get some rest and replenish our supplies there.”

 

“Actually, why is there a forest here?  I figured the land around the so called Holy Capital would be a lot more… cleared.”

 

Geira smiles with pride at the question.  Admiration laces her words as she says, “The forest of Palatine.  The gods wanted it this way.  Truly a testament to their wisdom.”

 

“What wisdom?  This path sucks.  We just left a major city.  Wouldn’t something better defined and paved work a lot better?  Heck, the tree shade is so thick in some places, we can’t even see the sun.”

 

Geira nods, “Yes, which is why many cities maintain proper highways.”

 

Shana glances towards Thea, but the girl shakes her head in a panic and turns away.  Then, with a click of her tongue, she says, “So, why did they want it this way?”

 

“We are mortals.  We do not question the gods.”

 

Shana drops her face into her hand and releases a heavy sigh.  “Forget it…”

 

Thea, growing worried that Geira will take insult at Shana’s lack of piety, cuts in.  She doesn’t know what to say, so she once more just says whatever comes to mind.  “I like the trees.  They give a lot of shade for hot days like these.”

 

Geira laughs out with the word, “Exactly!”

 

Shana, picking up that Thea is trying to change the topic of conversation, lets the issue drop.  To do otherwise would be pointless, infuriating, and make her want to bash her head against a brick wall. 

 

The three continue to make casual conversation as they walk.  They stop for a few breaks, but the day is spent moving.  Each time they pass by a traveler, Thea tenses.  Shana doesn’t think anything of it at first, but after the 5^th time, she begins taking the girl’s hand with her own.  Afterwards, Thea still gets nervous when people pass, but she longer shows a desire to flee into the woods.

 

Geira also acts on behalf of the two.  She always steps forward whenever someone appears.  By doing so, she ensures that she, a Valkyrja, is noticed before their black hair.  Soon after after passing by another traveler, she says, “We’ll be coming up to a clearing soon.  It’s a pretty popular spot, we can rest there for the night and move on come morning.”

 

Thea instinctively reaches for her hood at the revelation, but quickly stops upon finding herself grasping at air.  She tried asking for a hooded cloak earlier that morning, but Geira refused to grant her anything that would cover her, “cute face.”  She takes a breath to calm herself and says, “Perhaps we can skip the clearing and find something more secluded?”

 

Geira flashes the girl a reassuring grin and gestures to herself.  “Relax, you’re traveling with a Valkyrja.  If anyone is foolish enough to do anything, I’ll personally deal with him or her.  You have my word.”

 

To Shana’s surprise, Thea is visibly relieved upon hearing Geira make that promise.  However, a different issue soon comes to mind.  “Will the people already there even let us in?”

 

“They have no choice but to let us in.”  Geira chuckles at Shana’s confusion and continues. “The law of hospitality to travelers, it guarantees all travelers will be treated fairly by others, even other travelers.  In return, said travelers must demonstrate proper etiquette while under another’s hospitality.”

 

Shana frowns as she tries to imagine how such a potentially dangerous practice became a social norm.  She soon gives up and says, “How did something like that even come about?”

 

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A sly grin cross Geira’s face.  Amusement laces her words as she says, “Because you never know when that vagabond is actually a traveling god.  Try and imagine it.  Some guy asks you for food, you toss him into a lake, turns out he’s Thor.  Not a pretty image.”

 

Geira then speaks up as if she had almost forgotten a detail.  “Also, it encourages growth and development through contact with other people.”

 

Thea purses her lips.  She wants to speak of her own experiences, but fears contradicting Geira.  While lost in thought over what to do, she feels something warm wrap around her hand.  It’s Shana, she can tell solely from her surprisingly soft skin and how her hand is being grasped. 

 

Thea breathes in and exhales.  Whatever hesitation she feels is washed away.  She looks straight at Shana and ignores everything and everyone else, including Geira.  Then, taking a deep breath, she says, “Not for us.”

 

Once she has Shana’s full attention, she continues.  “I’ve been chased away many times.  Worst is when they let me have a space and then try to attack me in my sleep.  We have to be careful.”

 

Shana nods at Thea’s warning.  The seriousness radiating from the girl’s eyes speaks volumes of her experiences.  Not knowing what to say, or even if there is anything she can say, she squeezes Thea’s hand.  Whatever happens, they will face that night together.

 

Geira breaks the silence by saying, “Which is why I promise not to let them do anything, to either of you.”

 

“Thank you…”

 

The last part of the day’s journey is in silence.  As they reach the rest area, Shana wordlessly grabs Thea’s hand, brushes aside the lock of hair sliding down over her face, and marches straight in with her head held high.  Many of the people setting up their own camps are stunned by Shana’s bold entry.  Frowns harden on their faces as their eyes narrow in on Shana’s free flowing, black hair.  Slurs such as, “curva murdara,” “meretrix,” and “verbero” get passed among them as many clutch their weapons.  Some even stand up. 

 

Geira steps forward, placing herself and Vor in front of the two girls.  Her sharp glare stops everyone in their tracks.  Many that were slowly getting up are left in a half-crouched position. The Valkyrja’s intention to shield Daughters of the Dreaded One leaves many breathless from disbelief.  The festering anger that ignited from the sight of Shana’s black hair was doused much too early for them.  They have no idea how to react to the unexpected sense of betrayal they are feeling.

 

Geira glances to the two behind her and says, “Come on, let’s head to the back.”

 

The lapping sound of water rippling against a shore soon enters their ears.  Shana, curious, follows it.  After going around some bushes, a bluish green lake comes into view.  As suggested by the sound, the water of the lake is not still.  It flows outward, as if constantly being forced away from its center and towards the surrounding land.

 

Shana is baffled by the sight, but at the very least, she presumes the place isn’t dangerous.  Geira wouldn’t have brought them there otherwise.  In fact, she doubts it would have turned into a rest spot if it were.  As such, she places her right hand into the water for mana inference but doesn’t discover anything magical about it.  The lake consists merely of normal water.  Still, something about it feels off.

 

Geira notices Shana deep in thought, waving her hand back and forth in the water, and says, “What are you doing?”

 

“This lake, where does its current come from?”

 

Geira’s expression, hardened from having walked through the clearing, twists with shock at the foolish question.  After a moment, she says, “This lake is a spring overseen by a naiad, obviously.  Why else would it be surrounded by privacy bushes?”

 

“That doesn’t explain a single thing.”  Shana snaps back without a moment’s hesitation. 

 

Thea tenses, but Geira rolls her eyes without a word more.  Then, upon seeing that Shana doesn’t intend to press Geira for a better explanation, relaxes.  That is when she notices the lake’s “current” is growing more fierce and looks at Shana.  The girl is still waving her hand through the water.

 

“Shana, she doesn’t appreciate your touch.”  Then, as Shana, very confused, withdraws her hand from the lake, adds, “We should go.  We aren’t welcomed here.”

 

Geira also glances at the turbulent water and nods.  “Come on, we should be able to find a nice spot over there.  It should be far enough away from all the others to serve our needs.”

 

She then brings everyone to a small clearing at the edge of the rest area.  While the other travelers are still visible, the distance is enough to make accidentally wandering into their space impossible.  The ground, unfortunately, is a bit rocky.

 

Thea expression twists with regret as she imagines trying to sleep on such a rough place for the night.  “I’m sorry…”

 

Geira chuckles and says, “Don’t worry so much about it.  To be honest, I’ve been in much worse places.  Something like this can’t even be felt with the right padding.”

 

The two then hear Shana clap her hands together.  The ground flashes with a blinding amethyst light that ceases just as they shield their eyes.  The next thing they know, a stone hut stands before them.  Its walls are thick, and its roof slanted.

 

The other travelers stare with their mouths dangling open from shock.  They are all standing in place, lost over what to do next.  Many of them even hold their weapons ready, having instinctively drawn them at the sudden light.  The various groups look amongst themselves, wanting to do something.  Geira’s presence, however, leaves them little recourse but to continue watching.

 

Shana thinks for a moment and claps her hands together once more.  With another flash of amethyst light, a second structure adjacent to the first is revealed.  That one, however, has neither a roof nor an entrance.

 

Geira is the first to reorient herself and break the silence.  “Shana, what… did you just do?”

 

Shana’s expression clouds over with confusion as she turns to the Valkyrja.  She is at a complete loss over what she is being asked.  Her tone, however, implies that what she just did is the most obvious thing in the world.  “I made a hut for the night.”

 

“That’s not what I’m asking about!  All you did was clap your hands together.  No chant, no magic circle, nothing, yet you still conjured 2 stone structures.  What kind of spell was that!?”

 

Shana stares at Geira over the ridiculous question.  “I didn’t conjure anything.  I transmuted them with alchemy.”  A doubt then takes root in Shana’s mind.  She recalls the times she has seen others use magic in that land and adds, “You do know about alchemy here, right?”

 

“Quit your nonsense! Do you honestly expect me to believe that was alchemy?”

 

Shana answers by pointing down.  The rocky ground that originally covered the area vanished without anyone realizing.  Dirt is all that now lies beneath their feet.

 

Thea crouches down and touches the ground.  She too was surprised at Shana’s display of magic and needs to physically confirm that her eyes aren’t playing tricks on her.  Only once she feels the cool dirt shift between her fingers does she speak up.  “This… is alchemy?”

 

“Of course it isn’t!”  Geira snaps back before anything more can be said.  “Alchemy of this scale requires a large and complicated magic circle.”

 

“Is something like that even possible?”  “No.”  “She’s lying.”   “Monstrum…”  Whispers from those watching carry over.  “A… transmutation like that, it can’t be.”  “That’s impossible according to current alchemic theory.”  “There was no transmutation circle.”  “What did she do?”

 

Shana, starting to piece together the reason behind Geira’s behavior, thinks back to the development of alchemy where she is from.  It too was once as cumbersome as everyone makes it out to be.  Then, a bit more than 2,000 years ago, the process was simplified.  Since then, alchemy has come to be regarded as basic magic.  That revolution in use makes it her favorite example for defending her research in synthesis magic.

 

Shana smiles to herself at her musings.  Looking at her two companions, she says, “Placing my hands together represents the magic circle.  Afterwards, as long as I have knowledge about the surrounding materials and their composition, I can rearrange them as I like.”

 

Geira pales at Shana’s casual revelation.  She steps forward to stop Shana from saying anything more, but the damage has already been done.  While Shana is adding, “The difficulty changes depending on the complexity of the material being worked with and the intricacy of the structure being transmuted,” the various magicians also in the clearing can be heard clapping their hands.

 

Geira, flinching as she fears the worst, spins around to stop the wanton destruction Shana has just unleashed.  Greeting her eyes are magicians of various skill levels growing more and more frustrated as they continue to clap their hands together.

 

“I suspected as much.” Shana’s words are laced with mischievous amusement as she adds, “The cultural significance behind the gesture is either too different or simply just nonexistent here.”

 

Geira, annoyed that Shana risked unleashing chaos with a revolution in magic simply for sating her curiosity, stares the girl down.  “And what does that mean?”

 

“Where I come from, putting your hands together like that is a symbol of prayer.  There are some conditions, but that empowerment is probably what lets it serve as an all-in-one, substitution magic circle for alchemy.”

 

Thea then says, “And because no one here knows or understands the meaning, it’s impossible to do?”

 

Geira is lost for words.  She wants to tell Shana off for spouting false magic principles, but she cannot deny the results right before her eyes.  Shana transmuted two stone structures using the stone that was present in the ground.  Still, as impressive as what was accomplished, she is convinced Shana must have erred somewhere.

 

“So, what’s the second structure for?”
“A bath.”
“A bath!?”

“Yeah, I want to wash myself before going to sleep.  The entrance is inside.”

 

Geira dashes into the stone hut to verify the outrageous claim for herself.  Along the wall of the first structure is the opening that leads to the other.  She stops at the entry to a room of gray.  The design is simple; stone walls, a stone floor, and at the center of the room a square stone bathtub.  Despite appearances, nothing is as smooth as it appears.  Sliding her hand over the bathtub reveals it rough and grainy.

 

“Still, making something like this with alchemy— Even if it isn’t as good as a temple’s, it’s much better than anything I would have expected out here.”  She then peers inside of the bathtub.  “This even has its own built-in seats.”

 

“Obviously, it’s more comfortable that way.”

 

Geira’s head snaps towards Shana at her remark.  Despite her amazement, she jumps to vocalize her critiques.

 

“There’s no water.”
“It’ll get dirty and cold if I transmute that now.”
“Yeah?  Well what about the ceiling?  Are you trying to show off?  Those walls aren’t exactly impossible to climb over.”
“Oh, don’t worry about that.”

 

A cry of pain then rings out from the clearing outside.  Shana grins and says, “And that’s the protective spell I laid into the walls activating.  See?  You and Thea don’t have to worry about anyone trying to peek on you during your turn.”

 

“That still doesn’t stop anyone from just physically climbing them.”

 

Shana glances to where Vor is alighting onto the top of a wall as if to emphasize the point.  He then neighs out in pain as he jolts and falls off it.  With a smug smirk, Shana says, “Like I said, you two can bathe worry free.”

 

Thea, having also walked in, says, “Why did you make something like this?”

 

Shana shrugs and gives a helpless, “To be honest, I have trouble sleeping if I don’t get cleaned first.”

 

Geira’s amazement falls flat as she stares at the girl.  “Are you an idiot?”

 

Shana, having heard similar phrases spoken with the same tone and expression from her friends over the years, isn’t fazed by the question.  While brushing her hair aside with her fingers, she says, “Maybe my focus is a bit eccentric, but that’s my problem.  You don’t have to use it if you don’t want to.”

 

Thea quickly jumps in between them before anything more can be said or develop.  “Perhaps we should eat?  It’s been a long day and I am starting to feel a bit hungry.”

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