Amazonia - Leaving Bukhara

Bells of Hades, I hate traveling the countryside with a hangover.

Last night was worth this morning's headache, though. While Troll and the Nomads helped Prince Timur's Bloodguards, Argat and Gur, carry Jebe's body out and arrange it for transport, Prince Timur sat with me and the rest of my Wardogs and began trading stories. Little Paulus woke up and found me, which led to my telling the story of Eurax wanting to change him into a girl against his will, as the others returned. The prince shared my righteous anger and indignation of the Empire of the East's decadence, then shared stories of his own children, two boys and a girl, along with warm words concerning both of his wives.

Then Titan and Asena began sharing war stories, and the rest of us listened until we either passed out from wine or staggered off to bed. Last night I learned more about Titan than I'd ever imagined possible. He'd been a general for Alexander the Magnificent, with Asena in the front lines of the attack that had broken the army of Indus, leading to its conquest. Even more fantastic, Asena forged the alliance of the Etruscan kingdom and Alexander, with Titan the general who defeated the Roma republic, despite their legions. Had Alexander not suffered that puncture wound, which he let fester until it was too late to save him, the world might be a completely different place.

But he died in Asena's arms and his Macedonian empire broke apart soon after. The Etruscans adopted many of the Roma ideas like their legions, while keeping it a kingdom led by the demigod Remus until he was overthrown and it became an empire... which in turn broke apart as well. Everything shatters into pieces eventually.

But not today. As we leave Bukhara behind us, Paulus, my little tyrant, is sitting in front of Greywolf on the Shadow-walker's Daemo mount, an ugly beast resembling a six legged lizard without spines or a tail, peppering Greywolf with questions. "Why do you ride a giant lizard? Wouldn't a horse be better?"

Greywolf pats the side of his grey-green beast as we plod along the dusty road. "A lot of caravans travel through lands where there isn't a lot of water. Rocky, being a Daemo, doesn't need any, and while he can't go any faster than a trot, it's rarely a problem in a caravan."

"Do you let it drink your blood?" Greywolf nods, and Paulus screws up his face. "Yuck."

The Daemo Mount's head swings back and give Paulus a withering look before it swings forward again. "Daemo never need much," Greywolf patting the side of the creature's neck, "especially from someone like me." He lowers his voice. "Best be careful in what you say. Rocky's sensitive, and you might hurt his feelings."

Rocky's head swings back again and snorts the same way Asena does. "Oh, please."

Paulus' eyes go wide. "It talks!"

The Daemo rolls its eyes and looks forward again as Greywolf laughs. "All of the Daemo are intelligent, and most of them know our languages, even the creatures." He pats its neck again. "Rocky's been a good friend to me, and he's not the least bit afraid of the Shadowlands."

"Speaking of which," Karl says as we crest the top of a hill, "the ruined temple's just ahead." My Wardogs form up alongside me as we look down into the small valley below.

In its day, the temple must have been impressive, with Greco columns and white stone walls, a large dome overhead and fountains. Now, the fountains are dry and the columns fallen, choked with vines and other weeds, as are the walls. Pieces of the dome have fallen in while the rest is cracked. Yet in the center of all this ruin, a dead grey tree stands with nothing but bare earth in a large circle around it. Greywolf turns in his saddle. "It's best if everyone stays here while Fox and I walk down to the tree."

Greywolf swings down before reaching up to help Paulus off, who balks. "I don't want to stay here. I want to see the Shadowlands."

Titan plucks him off the mount and sets him on the ground. "Best if you don't."

"We took a job with a merchant once who wanted to save time by traveling there," Asena says. "Along the way, we were attacked by Shadow Raptors, and before Greywolf and I drove them off, one of the caravan guards had his head lopped off." Asena makes a cutting motion with a claw near the boy's throat, who flinches away. Asena smiles as she bends down. "Want to know what happened? He didn't die, but had to carry his head in his hands until we reached the next weak spot, where he did die when Greywolf opened a large gate again."

Troll makes a face. "You're telling a tale."

Greywolf shudders. "I wish she was. C'mon, Fox; grab your sword and let's go."

Fox's dressed like one of the Bukhara women, with her midriff and feet bare. "Since I don't know how to fight, I don't have one."

"You don't..." He blinks. "But what do you do when a Shadow creature goes after you?"

Fox shrugs. "Run."

Standing near us, Titan rumbles, "I plan to guard her should anything attack while we are in the Grey, as you Shadow-walkers call it."

Greywolf gives him a dubious look. "If you say so. Since no one's used this entry in a while we should be fine, but every time one of us opens a large gate into the Shadowlands, it sends vibrations out in all directions which alerts the Shadow creatures. Papa used to call it 'ringing the dinner bell'."

Titan chuckles. "I actually know your father from a long time ago. He came out to watch Amazonia and I fight last year, and bought wine for the entire Ludus."

Greywolf's face lights up. "Is papa alright? What did he say?"

"Greywolf," Asena growls, "the day's not getting any longer."

"Yes, Asena." He grabs his sword and leads Fox down the hill towards the ruin, Fox asking him questions as they go. I swing down off my horse and stretch, Dancer taking the reins as i continue watching them.

Once they're out of earshot, Titan turns towards Asena. "You know Muzen might not be bluffing about the girl killing herself."

I expect Asena to deny it. Instead, she sighs. "What do you want me to do? If I give in to Muzen's demands, he then train sGreywolf to be his assassin and corrupts my son once he's gotten me out of the way."

Prince Timur moves his horse closer towards us. "If we are to attack this Muzen, you could certainly take this Blood-Wysper as your slave, should you decide to come with us."

Asena glowers at him. "Prince Timur, I don't want to insult you, but I'm not letting that girl anywhere near my son. She's a mortal, and mortals die."

He shrugs. "Everything dies in time, even Oldenblood."

"It's time that's the problem. Greywolf's like I am; he's going to fall in love with her, and even if she doesn't die by violence, he's going to watch her grow older and older until she's finally gone. It'll tear his heart to shreds and I won't allow it."

"You mourn," Titan says in a quiet rumble, "and then you move on."

Asena's shaking her head. "No, you don't move on," she snarls. "You find another who loves your wildness and you watch them die. Then you lose another, and another, and even more, until every night the wine you drink to help you sleep wears off, and in the early hours of the morning you relive all their deaths. Oh no, I won't put my son through the same torment I've gone through, not if I can help it."

Dancer and I trade a troubled look as Argat calls out, "Look, they've reached the tree."

Down the hill, Greywolf's got his sword out, an Artifact blade shaped like a katana from the far east, and he seems to be explaining something to Fox as he gestures. She's nodding eagerly, and is moving her hand towards a tree branch as they seem to count down three... two... one... Both touch a tree branch together and a wolf-like halo the size of Titan appears around Greywolf for a moment before it vanishes.

Like a rock hitting a still pond, a single ripple spreads outward, robbing the area of color behind it as it moves in the space between one breath and the next until it's reached its limit. Fox and Greywolf are still visible, but they're moving incredibly fast, Fox's arm a blur of motion as she touches the... it's not a tree but a mass of tentacles... now it's a tree again as the ring of grey rolls back and color returns. Fox waves her arms. "I did it," she shouts. "I've learned how to use the Grey." I smile and wave back.

"Is she sure?" I can hear the frown in Prince Timur's voice. "Because if she is not, and we find ourselves trapped..."

The thought of being lost in the Shadowlands is enough to make me shudder. "Are you sure?" I yell back, cupping my hands over my lips. "Try again by yourself."

They both wave, and Greywolf holds his katana at the ready as Fox grasps a branch in her hand. The grey wave rolls out once more. Fox's darting about like a hummingbird, Greywolf seeming to laugh as Fox's arm whips up... a hairless, birdlike creature the size of a mastiff darts towards them, Greywolf a spinning blur as Fox turns and runs... a split second fight, Greywolf chasing after Fox... the grey wave rolls back, and I'm racing down the hill as their movements slow, their bodies losing their greyness as the creature flies over them like a ghost, and is gone.

Fox collapses on the ground, her face in her hands, and Greywolf kneels beside her as Asena roars behind me, "Damn you, Daemo slut, I'm going to kill you!"

Greywolf looks up as I reach them and draw my sword. "Back off," I yell as I spin around to face her as the rest of my Wardogs leap off their horses. "To kill Fox you've got to get through me."

Asena roars, her claws extended and hair bristling as Titan yells, "HOLD!" Asena glances over her shoulder.

And trips on a stone slab. She goes sprawling, sliding across the surface and into a patch of weeds as I grab Fox and move us to a more defensible position. Greywolf sheathes his sword and runs towards her. "It's not her fault," he says as she picks herself up. "The Shadow Raptor snuck up on us, but I scored its flank and it shot upward-" Asena grabs him by the front of his armor and flings him right towards a leaning stone column. He's going to hit it hard...

A grey oval appears and he shoots through it, the oval disappearing and reappearing a moment later in front of Asena. Greywolf steps through. "If you're trying to keep me from getting hurt," he yells, waving his arms, "you're picking a really strange way to do it." Asena's snarling as she glares down at him.

Then she turns around and stalks back up the hill. Titan reaches her and reaches out, but she snatches her arm away and continues stomping her way towards the top. Titan merely shrugs and continues walking our direction as I sheath my sword. "Greywolf-"

"I'm fine, not even a scratch, no thanks to Asena." He's trying to curb his temper and failing miserably. "Is Fox alright?"

"It never touched me," she replies.

"Good." Greywolf draws a deep breath and shouts, "Because right now I need to kill something, not that you care." Asena makes the gesture of her four fingertips touching her thumb and holds it up, meaning she thinks Greywolf's making an arse out of himself. Greywolf snarls as a gate forms and he steps through it.

Turning around, Fox is trembling. "Domina-" Greywolf appears, throws his katana down, and sits beside it, crossing his legs with his back to all of us.

I put my hand on Fox's shoulder. "I need to know if I can trust you to stay with the group when we travel through the Shadowlands. If you panic and disappear-"

"I know, Domina. I... I think if Titan's guarding me, I'll be alright."

"Get someone with a large shield and crouch with him behind it," Greywolf says with his back still towards us. "Shadow creatures go for weakness, and usually won't attack a Shadow-walker if there's other people around, since we have power over the Grey. Wound a few, and they'll leave you alone."

"I wish you were coming with us," Fox says.

Greywolf hangs his head between his knees. "I can't leave her or she'll die," he says in a quiet voice, "but I can't keep going on like this."

Titan kneels down beside him. "Your mother is caught between the cliff and the cavalry, terrified of making the wrong choice."

"No offense, Syr, but Asena's not afraid of anything."

"You might be surprised. She is terrified of losing you, yet even more terrified that you will make the same mistakes she did, and suffer the same regrets she must now live with."

Greywolf turns his head and looks up. "But it's my life she's interfering with. I should have the right to make my own mistakes and learn from them."

"Some mistakes you can't learn from until it's too late." I walk around Greywolf and kneel down in front of him. "When certain tribes of the Mauri people revolted against the Etruscans, I joined the Javelin Corps against my mother's wishes and learned to fight." I shrug. "The rebellion was crushed and I ended up a slave in Thrace, sold to a Ludus and trained as a gladiator. Had I listened to my mother, I'd still be living in our village with a husband and children of my own."

"But you wouldn't have become a champion of the arena."

I unconsciously touch the piece of boiled leather protecting my throat. "I made the best of the fate I'd brought upon myself and never looked back. But I also listened when the other gladiators gave me advice, and acted upon it, so I didn't have to make the mistakes they'd learned from the hard way."

"Do you regret going against what your mother wanted?"

I can't help but snort. "Maybe when I'm your mother's age I'll have time for regrets, but right now I'm too busy living my life and trying to stay alive." I extend my hand towards him as Titan stands. "Now, grab your sword and let's get going before anyone else throws a tantrum."

Greywolf grabs his weapon in one hand and lets me pull him up with the other as Titan rumbles, "By the way, did you kill anything in the Shadowlands?"

A smile touches his lips despite himself. "The Shadow Raptor took one look at me, turned tail, and flapped away."

"Which is a lesson you have just taught me," Fox says. "Show no fear."

"True, unless it's a Night Hag," Greywolf says as he lets go and the four of us start up the hill. "Then you run like a Daemo Oliphaunt was after you. Fortunately they tire quickly, letting you escape if you..."

Greywolf goes on as Titan gives me a satisfied look and holds out his hand. I take it, smiling up at him in a rare moment of peace.