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From: rev2@po.CWRU.Edu (Robert E. Vogel)
Newsgroups: alt.pub.dragons-inn
Subject: REPOST: [Zjiria/Azend] Chapter 3
Date: 15 Mar 1994 04:14:54 GMT
Organization: Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH (USA)
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Reply-To: rev2@po.CWRU.Edu (Robert E. Vogel)
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ADMIN:  this story runs parallel to that good ol' [Azend/Zjiria] thread.   
    
        The delays were unavoidable, as real life kept annoyingly getting
        in the way of fantasy.  Hopefully, this will cease to be so.

        Zjiria, the Sirva and the Xraj are copyright, 1993, by Damion
        Schubert, use with permission.  The Domaeki are copyright, 1993,
        by R. Vogel.

***************************************************************************
        
        It turns out to be rather fortunate on my part that I had chosen to
leave the burning pyres when I did.  I was only a couple miles closer to 
the mountain pass that leads into the Valley of the Tears when I saw, 
behind me, Sirvan globes of light pinpricking through the cold darkness.
        I increased my pace, yet I held little fear of discovery.  I was 
walking without any illumination other than the half-full sun, and I used
every move of Xrajian stealth to cover up any trail I might have left.  
        I reached a cold, mountain stream, and cupped my hand and took a 
drink.  The coolness ran down the back of my throat, and I swallowed 
deeply. I walked upstream a few hundred feet, and sat down to rest.
        I focused on the lights.  None of them seemed to be moving, other 
than circling the pyres.  There seemed to be twelve points of light 
mingling with the bonfires, which suggested twice as many Sirva at least.  
Eight of the pinpoints formed a circular perimeter around the site - this 
suggested that they weren't planning on moving in the near future.  It was 
possible that one or two had been sent off to hunt me alone, using magikal 
means of sight and tracking, yet I was reasonably confident that I was in a
good, defensible position.  No Sirva could approach me without being seen, 
and if led near me, no Sirva would see me until he was nearly on top of me - 
and by then he'd have a Gra'ah in his throat.  And so I rested.
        I also used a black grease to dull the shine of my armour.  I was 
above timberline, and that gave me little to hide in.  However, jutting 
crags and uneven landscapes gave me plenty of cover to hide behind, and 
my cloak all but made me disappear in the shadows.  The culprit most likely
to reveal me was my armour glinting in the moonlight.  It was one less
thing to worry about.
        And I rested peaceably, until in the distance, I could see the 
globes of light starting to dance around.  They were preparing to move out.
Which meant it was time for me to do so as well.  I was certain I could 
outpace a single Sirva crossing the cold terrain at night, and to be able
to outpace a full war party was never a doubt.  The Xraj have a heritage
steeped in speed and stealth.
        I doubled the mileage that they were doing, all the time (I assume)
staying unnoticed by them.  Finally, I reached the mountain pass.  I 
stared, as I always do, at the awesome sight of the Valley of the Tears 
resting in the moonlight.  Then I became aware that my silhouette might be
visible to those behind me.  Wordlessly, I stole down the hill.  I no longer 
had to meander behind every rock and crevice I found, and so I sped steadily 
downhill towards the closest of Xraj villages.

                        *****************************

        I was only halfway from the pass to the villages when I saw him.
He was standing downhill from me only a few hundred yards, and he 
was neither impatiently pacing, nor was he resting.  He was at a relaxed 
standing posture as if he was waiting for someone.  Stealthily, I got a 
little closer to him and observed him in more detail.  He was of pale 
complexion - flashing black eyes and a patient scowl framed by a river 
of long brown hair.  He wore neither cloak nor armor.  Instead he was
dressed solely in black garb - a simple black tunic and black pantaloons.
His feet were housed in highly polished black boots of superior workmanship.
I saw the glint of something in his ear, and could only imagine it to be
pierced.
        However, what I found the most striking was the fact that he was
lacking something: namely arms.  He had two arms instead of four, meaning 
that he was certainly no Xraj.  However, similiarly, he lacked the third 
leg and arm that a Sirva had.  Only two arms and two legs.  So, what was
this creature?
        A cold wind swept down the pass and chased my nerves up my spine. 
Irealized that the stranger was staring right at where I was.  In fact, I
hadno doubts he was staring at me.  With a thought, I plucked his name from
theair:  Leyre.
       I was no fool, and realized I had lost any advantage of stealth I 
might have had.  He had no doubts I was here, yet he made no move towards 
me.  He just stared at me, making it clear the approach would have to be
done on my part.  I stood from behind the rock, drew two of my Gra'ah,
and walked towards him.  
        I had crossed but half the distance when he finally moved from his
statuesque pose.  He held out his two empty hands before him and said, 
"Be at ease, countess, there is no need for hostility.  As you can plainly 
see, I am unarmed and seek only to speak to you.  Please sheathe your 
blades so we can converse in a civil manner."
        I scowled and hesitated.  Something of this gentleman smelled
wrong,but I couldn't place my finger on it.  "You could still possess a
magikal attack, sirrah."
        The stranger chuckled and nodded.  "I could, indeed.  And, in 
fact, I do.  But if I had desired your blood, I would have cast my 
enchantments long before you had come this close.  This battle would 
be over now, for good or ill."  He clasped his hands in front of him, and 
I noticed that they seemed odd for some reason.  Then I noticed that 
each hand had a sixth finger on it.  As if sensing my gaze, Leyre began 
to twiddle the extra digits lazily.  
        I snapped my vision up to his eyes, and fell into them.  They 
seemed a void, though a lively one, full of cold amusement.  Wordlessly, I 
sheathed one of my Gra'ah.  "Speak of what you came to speak, Leyre."
        The stranger looked moderately surprised.  "You know my name.  
Interesting.  I was under the impression that Xraj hated and refrained 
from any magik use."
        I looked at him in surprise.  "Magik use?  What nonsense..."
        He slowly raised an eyebrow.  "The fact that you could draw my name
from the winds suggests an ability that is mental in nature.  Obviously, 
the Xraj have some capacity for the magic of the mind."
        I snorted in derision.  "You speak in riddles, and they're not very
funny, Leyre," I said.  "Xraj abhore all magik as unholy.  But the ability 
of which you speak is one of ease, one which children learn before they 
learn to lace their boots.  It's no more magik than planting a seed and 
watching a sapling sprout in the spring."  My hand slowly reached towards
my blade.  "I might also add that calling a Xraj a magician is an insult
of the deadliest sort."
        Leyre shook his head and crossed his arms, the same smile still on 
his lips, though more closely guarded.  "I have no desire to offend you, 
countess.  Nor do I have time to argue the particulars of what is magic 
and what is not."  
        His gaze at me seemed steady, and I could feel my hair raise all 
over my body.  The very air seemed tense, electric, thick.  He continued to
speak in a slightly strained voice.        
        "But I have offended, and to make amends as well as show you the 
benevolent nature of myself and my people, despite their eldritch 
origins, I offer you this gift." 
        With that, the air closed in around me.
        I'm certain that I must have sensed something was going to happen. 
My mouth widened in silent terror, and I scrambled away from him.  
Tripping, I sat down hard, and could feel the very air close in on me, 
surround me, entrap me, invade me.  I arced my head to scream -
        ...but there was no pain.
        Instead, I could feel a warm glow extend from my skin to the very 
depths of my soul.  I felt energetic and invigorated.  The weariness 
that had come with a day of fighting, pyre-building, and rapid and 
stealthy mountain travel all seemed to be erased, overwhelmed by a tingly 
sensation of raw adrenaline.
        Leyre nodded his head, his eyes now half-closed as if the effect 
had bored him.  "Come eight hours time, you will undoubtedly swear 
that I have laid a curse on you, for all the fatigue I have chased from 
your system will return in full force.  But for now, I have given you 
enough energy to easily reach your village before any pursuers can 
overcome you."  
        He stopped, and met my eyes.  "The energy I've given you 
has a beneficial effects on all aspects of your well-being.  This includes,
as I am sure you can ascertain, your fighting prowess.  If I meant you 
ill, why would I choose to give you this benefit?"  He smiled, and raised 
an eyebrow.  "Surely you can see that I am no fool."
        I paused momentarily, considering.  Certainly, there was nothing 
wrong with listening.  "Speak, Leyre," I said, "though call me Zjiria.  I 
know not this title by which you refer to me."
        He nodded slowly, extending his hands so that they might aid his 
rhetoric.. "I am Leyre, as you have already learned.  I am an 
ambassador for a race of people called the Baal.  I have been sent to 
seek one of your number, and to propose an... exchange of sorts."
        He paused.  I nodded, prodding him to continue.  
        "Of late, we have been having... difficulties... with a tribe of 
horsemen called the Domaeki-"
        "Horsemen?" I asked.
        Leyre nodded. "They ride monstrous, four-hooved beasts, taller 
than you and stronger than ten Xraj warriors."
        I looked at him suspiciously.  He noted this and said, "I assure
you that this is no fairy tale.  These beasts do exist.  They are quite docile
to those they acknowledge as masters, and suitable for riding.  This 
advantage makes the Domaeki a pronounced thorn in our side."
        He continued, "They have been attacking our newest settlements 
in the past few weeks.  Merely two passes south of here, the Domaeki 
managed to destroy a small colonial outpost in a raid this morn."  He 
gestured back in the direction from which I had come.  "Worry not, we 
are still far south of Xraj lands."
        He went on, and I noted the contempt that crept its way into his
voice.  "The Domaeki are little more than thieves and murderers.  
They attacked the village, and indiscriminatorily slaughtered innocent
women and children, as well as our wounded."  The corner of his mouth
dropped in bitterness.  "And with cold unholiness in their hearts, they 
proceeded to dismember our dead, and burn them en masse, like so much
firewood."   
        I nodded, still not sure whether or not to believe him.  My
intuitiontold me he was telling the truth.  His gaze, furthermore, did not
waver from my own.
        "Those of us who survived the attack decided to split up.  I was to
come and seek aid from our northern neighbors - you.  Another group 
headed back southwest to get aid from the Baal provinces.  Yet another
group awaits commands in the woods, though they are not nearly enough to 
counterattack without some semblance of support."
        "I therefore ask you to request of your council that your people 
counterattack the Domaeki for us."
        "But why?" I protested.  "You have reinforcements on the way.  
Why should you need our help, and why should we offer it?"
        Leyre smiled a slow, evil smile.  "The Domaeki attack was a 
bloodbath but, in all, ineffectual at slowing our colonization process.  
However, we cannot continue our efforts under the threat of attack.  
Therefore, we must punish the Domaeki for their transgression."
        "Do you know the best way to punish a child who has committed a 
serious crime?  Regularly, firmly, and quickly.  Punishment performed 
in this manner  will not be forgotten.  It's therefore imperative that the 
horsemen be chastised as soon as possible.  Our own troops are several days 
away, however.  So we must rely on the aid of an indegenous population."
        "The Xraj are the superior force for the task we have in mind," he
continued.  "Your stealth would hopefully allow you to attack them 
before they can reach their horses, and your four-armed fighting style
should prove frustrating to their fencers."  He looked away, and the wind
toyed with long tendrils of his hair. 
        "We understand that you have a war of your own to fight, with a 
group of magicians called the Sirva.  Needless to say, we would be more
than willing to exchange a favor for a favor.  Namely, we will provide a 
force for your use in an attack on the Sirva.  Furthermore, we, like the 
Sirva, are versed in the magikal arts, meaning that we can challenge 
them in a manner you are wholly unprepared to do.  Speaks of promise, 
does it not?"
        He turned away.  "Of course, if your people reject this proposal, I
would have no alternative other than to make the same offer to the 
Sirva.  And I dare say that a war with two united magician states is one 
thing Xraj nation would not survive, Zjiria.  Believe me on that."
        I nodded.  My skin still tingled from the spell he had cast on me, 
and I could see goosebumps up and down my arm.  I turned around and, in the
distance, I could see a globe-light peeking over the mountain pass. 
Anotherfollowed behind it.
        I turned to the stranger.  "Your offer has merit, Leyre.  I must
ask you to come with me to propose it to council."  I nodded in the 
direction behind me.  "And I suggest that now would be a good time to
leave.  You can give me more details on the journey's road."
        Leyre flourished grandly.  "But of course, countess.  With luck, 
perhaps, we'll arrive there before dawn."  
        On that note, I sheathed my weapon and headed home, keeping Leyre 
within sight all the while.

***************************************************************************** 
Still seeking comments and flames!  Still trying to do write all this and
actually do other, trivial stuff, like a music career and that school
thing.If anyone is so far behind on this they want earlier chapters, feel
free to write me, and all will be taken care of -- heretic@huey.cc.utexas.edu 
-- 
I would think that I was dead but for the pain...
     ---Rabied Rat's Revenge