entombed in the shrine of zeroes and ones

As we trudged back from the site where we'd taken the samples, i caught Yeniri nervously sneaking glances at me.  I didn't think much of it; i've worked hard at making people nervous over the last few years, so it happens even if i don't mean it to, and she was an odd duck, anyway.  We arrived at her cottage and she started working on preserving the samples while i took off my armor, stretched my muscles and did some balance exercises.

After some time, she declared, "I've finished," and stood up.  She walked towards me and said, "I."  She then blushed suddenly and fiercely, but she did not turn her eyes from mine.  "I wish you to spend the night in my bed.  If it would please you."

"Ahh, i, uh."  My brain scrabbled for words.  "Your gratitude, um, you don't have to thank me for, ah, this way, that is—"

She shook her head.  "I am not asking you to pay you back for your help.  It..."  She looked down for a beat, then at me again.  "It is a selfish thing.  You are a man with skin the color of the earth."  She reached up to touch my cheek.  The skin on her fingertips felt thick but smooth, like a polished callus.  She whispered, "So much earth in one man... to share my body with you would be a holy thing."  She pulled her hand away.  "They would kill you, you know.  Your color would be an offense to the Gods.  That's why i didn't want you to go back to the town.  Even though it is a border town and the presence of the army is minimal, i did not want you to risk yourself."

I tried not to stare.  "I... i'm flattered.  But i don't think that, i, ah."  I rubbed my scalp.  "We've just met," i finished lamely.

She looked at me for a second and nodded slightly.  "Of course."  She turned away and walked to her bed.  She sat at the edge and waited until i'd finished laying out my bedroll to put out the lantern.  I lay there for what seemed for hours until sleep came.

After some silence, i awkwardly changed the subject.  "So, what's in the mine?"

"Quartz crystals.  The gems that were once mined have long been exhausted.  I give the crystals to a wizard in town to use in preservation spells for me."

"What are you preserving?  Food?"

"Soil samples."  She took another spoonful of stew, and chewed and swallowed it.  "I send them to geologists in Kromalir.  If they are not preserved, they are useless by the time they arrive."  She sighed.  "They have me on a stipend, but it is barely enough to cover the expense, even after i scramble around that decrepit hole for a few meager crystals so i won't have to pay wizard component prices."

She'd shown more emotion in that last sentence than she had during the rest of the evening.  I felt an idea beginning to push through in my head and, after i finished my stew, i said, "How long would the soil sample last without the spells?"

She shook her head.  "With the techniques i have available, one day."

"How often do you send one?"

"Every twelve days, when Anu is fully lit and when it is fully dark."  She frowned at me with curiosity.

"How about this?"  I put my hands flat on the table.  "I will fly here every two weeks.  You will collect the samples, and i will carry them to Kromalir.  If i leave at sunrise, i'll be there by sunset.  And i'll charge you..."  I chopped my left palm with my right hand.  "... half of what the wizard is charging you."

She sat there quietly, looking at the wall behind me.  Then she looked at me and said, "I accept your offer.  With much gratitude."  She collected our bowls and put them in a bucket.  She said, "Anu is dark tonight, and i'll be leaving soon to collect the latest sample."  She looked at me with some obvious discomfort.  "I could use someone to hold my lantern."

I stood up and nodded.  "I'd be glad to help."

She gave me a thin smile and turned to prepare her gear.

(is the first paragraph an overexpository piece of duh?)

"I apologize," i said once i was inside.  "I presume that the Tashpari custom is family name first, then?"

"Correct."  She picked up a bowl and handed it to me.  "Water.  You have something for me."

"That i do," i said.  I drank it all, then took off my backpack and pulled out Néfilo's satchel.  As i turned to face her, i saw her scrubbing the red clay off her face with a wet cloth.  Now i was able to appreciate her tiny nose and pale skin (which was still a bit pink from the scrubbing).

She put the cloth down and took the satchel from my hands.  She opened it and removed a sheaf of papers, which she replaced with another sheaf.  She tied the satchel closed and as she handed it back to me she said, "You would best not spend the night in town.  I offer you my hospitality here."

"I... thank you.  Yes, i accept.  Just one second."  I went outside and told Kohasadi to find somewhere comfortable to spend the night.  He squawked, stretched, and started walking around.

"The people in town called you a witch," i remarked in between bites of a succulent mushroom stew which really cried out for bread that, sadly, Yeniri lacked.

"That is what many would call a woman who lives by herself, doing strange things in the base Earth, who it is said turned away from what was her calling from the Gods of Heaven."  She fixed her gold-flecked eyes on me.  "My Sun-touched eyes, my Anu-colored skin, my hair the color of the Stars themselves; these all meant i was destined to be a Priestess of the Gods."  She paused for a second, then said in response to my blank expression, "You know nothing of our ways."

"I know nothing of your ways," i agreed with a nod.

"The Gods seeded the Earth with life so that some good could come from evil.  The Earth is fire, which is destruction and hate, and dirt, which is rot and death.  All life springs from this, away from the Earth, and yearns for the Heavens.  Man and beast walk upright, fowl flies, plants grow upwards."  She paused to drink some water.  "For as long as i can remember, i felt an affinity for the Earth.  As some faiths insist on saving sinners instead of destroying them, so i wanted to work with the Earth, so that we may all benefit from the knowledge.  Had my appearance not been touched by the Gods, i would have been killed for my heresy.  Instead, i was banished."  She laced her fingers.  "Néfilo thinks of me as a rogue geologist, but i am a priestess of the Earth.  After some time, i think he will understand this."

"I need a red clay poultice," i said.  "Er, please."

He waved my request away.  "No, no, nobody uses red clay anymore!  It's too hard to find, and it doesn't do nearly as good a job as the black marsh clay!  I happen to have—"

"Sir," i interrupted, "i really need a red clay poultice."

"I assure you, sir, that the black clay—"

"Look," i bit off, "i wasn't asked for black clay.  I was asked for red clay.  A red clay poultice."  I looked intently at him and tried to keep my temper.

He pressed his lips and snorted.  "Oooh!  You're probably some other witch's errand boy, i'll wager!"

"N—"

"Bah!  Stop wasting my time."  He crossed his arms.  "It's the witch you want to see, i'm sure.  Go on, then!"  He pointed and said, "Go through the poplar grove at the end of town and go around the hill.  You'll find the witch's hut.  Now go and don't come back!"  He stomped to the back of the store and closed the door.

"Freak," i muttered.

The sun barely made the sky glow behind us as we flew eastwards around the indicated hill.  I saw a mine entrance that looked abandoned, and a short distance from that was a dilapidated house.  I could see smoke coming out of the chimney and an oil lamp through a window.  Kohasadi banked around and landed in the front yard.  I dismounted, patted his neck and walked up to the door, half-expecting a crazed woman with wild hair to burst out of the house and screech at me to go away.  I knocked on the door and brushed aside my disappointement when nothing happened.  I was about to knock again when the door was opened by a woman in a leather apron with a brick-red face and hair to match, tied back in a ponytail.

"Greetings," i said, "i am looking for Dakel."

"You are looking," she retorted, "for Yeniri."  She tilted her head inside.  "Come in, then."

(i hate the first two paragraphs, i've been agonizing over them for a week, i suck, wah wah, etc.)

I had to deal with the officiously stuffy stablehand again that night when i picked the tack up; i'd not realized how badly i'd offended Ysadil's Asiri sensibilities with my favor-begging ("The Stablemaster is inevitably detained," he intoned stiffly when i asked for her).  Mr. Stuffy sniffed and harrumphed as he adjusted the straps around Kohasadi's torso until he was satisfied.  "Please get on your mount and try it out," he whined.  I hopped on and we took a few flaps around before we came down again.  It wasn't great, but it was a marked improvement.  I asked Kohasadi, "How's it feel?"  He shrugged and cawed.  I thanked Mr. Stuffy, who sniffed and went back inside.

I estimated that it would take us all day to fly to the Tashpari border, so it seemed prudent to turn in now at the Ashen Tongue.  However, the thought of seeing Gialarçi again made me uncomfortable; where did that kiss come from?  What did it mean?  I felt adolescently awkward.  I decided to duck the situation by sleeping in the stable next to Kohasadi (and avoiding his inquisitive looks).

A flying mount is an improvement over an earthbound mount because the constant pounding of hooves against ground isn't being transmitted to your nether regions.  This fact plus the improvised saddle made enough of a difference after a full day's flight that i didn't want to have my legs ripped off once we arrived in Pialesto.  It was dingy, even for a border town; there was filth down alleyways and a layer of mud covered the buildings' walls.  The place was poorly guarded, as if Tashpar didn't care if someone came along and claimed it for themselves (and who would want to?).

I approached a couple of kids and asked them about the apothecary.  One of them played dumb while the other tried to filch my coin pouch.  I smacked his hand away and threatened to sic Kohasadi on them, which only made them giggle.  They pointed me in the right direction and i flipped them a star each.  They yelled horrible things about my mother as we walked away.

The building was built with dwarves in mind, which meant i had to duck my head to avoid hitting the sign that depicted a mortar and pestle that hung above the five-foot-tall doorway.  I avoided beams as i made my way to the counter.  There was a small gong and mallet, which i rang.  A cheerful dwarf with a short beard (well, short for a dwarf) bustled his way out.  "Greetings, good sir!  What may i do for you today?"

I rubbed my head sheepishly. "Yeah, well, i've been busy." I looked at her hair. "What happened to your braids? They were beautiful."

She shook her head. "Too much work. Once i got the job here as a stablehand, i wanted to devote all my time to my job. And now, i am Stablemaster, for three years." She clapped her hands. "But enough catching up. Let us look at your beast."  She opened a door in the fence and walked up to us.  "Come outside, please.  He is making the horses nervous."  She led us to a corral with high walls, barred the gate behind us and turned to examine Kohasadi.

"Twelve hands and a half... mmm, the wings make things difficult... you have to sit up close to the neck, yes?"  I nodded.  She continued mumbling to herself, "Your legs probably get in the way of his flapping..."  She moved to his back.  "Gorgeous tailfeathers.  Could you have him take off?  I want to observe it."

Kohasadi squawked and started beating his wings, which startled Ysadil.  "He understands Western, you see," i told her with a chuckle after Kohasadi landed.

"Marvelous," she breathed.  "Where did you find him?"

"Outside the wreckage of a keep.  It's a long story."

"I do not doubt it."  She ran her hand over Kohasadi's neck and shoulder.  "Jumuwadi, mount him and take off.  I want to see you riding him."

I hopped on and braced myself for takeoff.  After a few seconds of hovering, Kohasadi put us back on the ground.  I hopped off and asked Ysadil, "Well?"

She shrugged.  "It can be done.  I will set up an appointment to measure him and i'll give you an idea—"

"I'm, ah, i'm actually in a bit of a hurry.  I need to leave town."  She raised her eyebrows.  "Not permanently.  Just for a while, and quickly."

She narrowed her eyes.  "I see."  She sighed and put a hand over her face.  After a few seconds, she looked back at me and said, "Wait."  She left and came back soon with a pony saddle.  She put it on Kohasadi's neck, pulled out a knotted length of rope, and measured various lengths across his body.  She then pulled out a stick of charcoal and made a mark on the saddle.  "Come tonight, two hours after sunset.  It will be done."  She frowned at me.  "I won't waste my time asking you for payment, as it seems the likely source of your need to depart."

"I—  No—"  I gave up.  "Look, i don't want to owe you a favor.  I promise to come back and pay you, not just for this, but for the custom job."

She looked at me for a few moments, then nodded.  "All right.  See you tonight."  She left quickly without a look back.  I grimaced in discomfort in her wake.

(when last we left our heroes...)

"Is this some kind of joke?"

I stared unamusedly at the stablehand.  I pointed at Kohasadi with my hand and said, "Yes, i'm clearly joking.  I'm asking for tack for a gryphon just for shits and giggles."

"Well, sir, we don't have any gryphons here.  So i'm not sure why you think i can help you," he replied stiffly.

"Well, sir, you only work for the largest stables in the city, so i thought it reasonable to assume that you had the resources to accomodate my request, and if not, perhaps point me towards someone who can."

He sighed.  "The Stablemaster might be able to recommend a stable that does custom work.  I'll see if he's busy."  He turned with a sniff and walked into an office in the side of the stables.  They were well maintained and æsthetically designed, although they weren't as nice as some of the stables i'd seen in the Asiri-Ticanil campaigns out east.  Some of the nobles there loved their horses so much, it had made me uncomfortable.  Then i looked at Kohasadi and i felt uncomfortable.

My mental rambling was interrupted by the emergence of a large, dark man with very shortly cropped hair from the office.  He walked towards me, then suddenly stopped and stared, then grinned and said in a decidedly feminine voice tinged with an Asiri accent, "Or my eyes deceive me, or... well now.  Jumuwadi.  It is you, yes?"

"Ysadil."  I smiled widely at who i now realized was a woman.  "Of all the places... this is one hell of a welcome surprise.  How long have you been here?"

"In Kromalir?  I came here directly after i left the Asiri service."  She smiled at me.  "And that was only ten days after your magnificent drunken peroration."

I felt myself flush in embarrassment.  "More like my petulant tantrum.  I can't believe i did that.  I'd managed to forget it..."

She laughed.  "Oh, Jumuwadi.  You were an outsider, so it was your prerogative to see the things we'd ignored all our lives.  You were young, so it was your duty to speak about what you saw without consideration for your audience.  And you were right; the reason the war has existed for centuries, and probably still continues, is that it is an intensely personal thing for every Asiri and every Ticanil, drilled into them by their culture since childhood."  She turned to look at the horses in their stalls.  "I got tired of sending beautiful horses to die on the battlefield, so i left the Asiri stables and came here, the home of that young man who fought as if he were already dying, as long as it did not become a personal issue.  And, of course, i never found you."

I chuckled.  "For a few years.  We grow out of it.  I suspect you will, too."

"Perhaps."  He looked at his left claw and flexed it.  "Anyhow, well, if i am not truly bonded to you, i am still committed to sharing your fate as your mount, but not as your servant."

I nodded.  "I would like nothing better.  I don't want to be excessively sentimental, but it seems inescapable that finding you outside Teraad's castle was the best thing that has happened to me recently, if not in my entire life.  These last few days have been fun and rewarding, even if i had been unable to understand you until now."

"I also feel that way, if not more so.  You ended a life of servitude.  I owe you my allegiance."

I shook my head.  "I did not intend to free you.  You owe me nothing.  But i welcome what you would give me."

He nodded.  "And i welcome what you would give me."  He sighed.  "So.  We shall be doing a favor for the small one soon, yes?"

I nodded.  "That would seem to be the case.  Let's go find him."  I grabbed the satchel and we walked out of the shed towards the small clearing where we first found Néfilo.  He was collecting leftover materiel.  He looked up and said, "Ah, so yar done?"

I nodded.  "Here you go."  I pulled the arches out of my ears and handed them to him.  "I don't suppose you'd know where i can find someone who can make a saddle for Kohasadi."

"Not much a riding fan, biggun.  Try the stables at the Constabulary Yard.  If they can't do it, they'll know someone who can."  He pointed at the satchel.  "Don't take too long, eh?  Some a that is already weeks overdue."

I snorted and shrugged.  "Sure thing.  Good look with the Mafia."

"Ha!  Those pinheads ha'better not come pestering me again, or i'll set the ankhegs on `em."

I goggled at him.  "You have ankhegs in here??"

"A course i do!  Ya got a better way t'mix up and aerate the soil?"

"I, ah, suppose i don't."  I tried to smile through my amazement.  "I'll head back here once i'm done, yes?"

He picked up all of his gear and stood up.  "That'll do, biggun.  I'll talk to you later."  He nodded at Kohasadi and walked off towards the shed.

I looked at Kohasadi and said, "Let's see if we can get you saddled."

I looked to my right and saw a cabinet.  I tried to open it but it was locked.  I looked next to the door and there were a few keys hanging there.  I grabbed them all and kept trying them until one fit and opened the cabinet.  Inside i found a messy assortment of gardening tools and clothing.  There was a mirror on the inside of the door i opened, so i looked into it to put the arches inside my ear.  As i finished fitting them, i heard, "Are they in?"

I turned around to see Kohasadi with what might have been an expectant look on his face.  I grinned and said, "I do believe they are."

"That's great!  I've been anxiously awaiting this moment."  He stood up and walked closer to me.  "Even if you won't get to keep them for long."  I could hear him squawking and chirping, but it made sense.  It was a bizarre but marvelous experience.

I patted him on the shoulder and said, "This is really cool.  So, ah, what do you think?  About this all?"

"I'm still thinking about what the small one said about bonding."  He sat.  "We gryphons are not dumb like prey, but we are not as smart as you humanoids are.  So i would dispute that we are unable to bond because we're too smart.  And yet..."

After a couple of seconds, i impatiently said, "Well?"

"The mage.  My old master.  He made me and the other gryphons in his stable smarter, so he could train us more quickly."  He looked away uncomfortably.  "I wanted to follow you, because i  knew you had tried to kill him.  And my first impulse was to let you be my new master."  He looked at me again.  "Even though you took care of me, you still thought of me as a dumb beast.  And i would have been glad to let you be my master, because i did not know a life as a free being.  But then i talked to the caretaker, and just the way he looked at me, and talked to me, as if i were more than just a beast..."  He shook his head.  "I am young.  I am not used to this intelligence, this self-awareness, this ability to think about myself, this..."

"Introspection?" i offered

He nodded.  "Introspection.  To look within myself, to examine who i am.  I am excited and confused.  Do humanoids feel this same way?"

Néfilo grinned.  "I'll send yez on a task, then.  Maybe a few errands, that should make us even."  He got up and walked to a chest, unlocked it, and pulled out a buckled leather case.  "Now, do yez know where the town a Pialesto is?"  I shook my head.  He continued, "It's three days a travel on foot north-northeast, just past the Tashpari border.  I need yez t'go there.  The last messenger i sent that way got roughed up by the Mafia before he left town, and i don't need them getting into any more a my papers."  He handed me the case.  "Now, once yez get to Pialesto, there's two apothecaries in town.  Ask around and find out which one is run by a dwarf, and go t'that one.  Once yer there, ask for a red clay poultice.  He'll tell you he's out, but he'll tell you how to get to a place where someone can get you some.  Her name is Dakel Yeniri.  Give her the satchel."

I looked at the satchel, then back at him.  "That's it?"

"For now, biggun.  Might be a while before i consider yer debt discharged."

"Not exactly a debt if you haven't given me the goods, is it?  I get the feeling you're going to hold me hostage as your errand boy as long as you can dangle those doodads in front of me."

He frowned.  "I'm not about t'start arguing semantics with yez, biggun.  Yez knows what yez wants, and yez knows what i wants."

I held up my hands.  "OK, fine, you have a point.  Can you just lend `em to me for a while?  I'd like to have a conversation with Kohasadi."  Kohasadi perked up and squawked.

Néfilo sighed and shrugged.  "Ahh, i suppose."  He handed me the arches.  "I'll get back t'my work and give yez two some privacy."  He grumbled on his way out the door.

I looked at the arches; they were too small to fit around my ears, but they just might fit on the inside of my ears.  I opened the door and yelled at the druid, "Hey, you got a mirror in here?"

"There's one in the tool cabinet!" he yelled without bothering to turn around.