The Land Below our Feet III (Legacy)

TERRIFIED

Souna sat silently in the corner of the cramped hostelry, watching how the Xoltunian archer acting as Histya's bodyguard towered over the old barkeeper and ruthlessly questioned the notably terrified man.

The relief in the elder’s face was evident as soon the dark-haired warrior finally stepped away from the counter and stomped her feet to where they all sat.

-So, Anyja, girl, don’t keep us waiting! – The river monarch urged her with an impatient tone, waving her hand at a free bench next to her – Tell us… What did you find?

-Well… It turns out that the sight of a Yahurian traveling with three teens is quite a memorable one as it is, and very hard to miss too – The tall, athletic woman informed them, taking the seat beside her mistress and thirstily emptying the contents of the glass before her in one go.

Anyja paused, breathlessly wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, then nodding at her ruler with a knowing grimace.

– You were right, Your Grace – The archer resumed speaking – There are several witnesses that saw them wandering the streets just a few weeks back, and the innkeeper vividly recalls that they stayed here overnight before buying some provisions and continuing their journey the next day.

-All the way up to the white Cahenean sands… I assume! – Souna intervened with an annoyed groan, tilting her head defiantly at the Xoltunian Queen– See? It seems that this cunning daughter of yours was the one persuading the others to follow her into Sand Valley’s dunes.

-That’s absurd! – Histya angrily shouted, holding Souna's accusing gaze – My girl just wanted to visit her dad, she doesn’t need your kids at all for that!

-Sweetheart – Ussiariah mediated in a purposefully serene voice, placing an appeasing palm over her hand – I believe that Histya is right… Let’s not forget that Axe is still looking for answers about his past. So, I don’t think Cahen is supposed to be their true destination, but a convenient stop on their march.

-W-What? – The Xoltunian regent mumbled in confusion, searching for an answer in the warrior’s inscrutable eyes – What do you mean by that? There’s nothing beyond Cahen but savage tribes!

-Yes. Yes, there is – Ussi sighed with deep concern – Or at least there was supposed to be once… And that is the reason why I dropped everything the second Histya mentioned Cahen and suddenly, it did make sense that Axe had abandoned his original intentions and headed here instead… Because as soon as you brought the idea up, there was an ancient Uplander legend that instantly came to my mind.

-Alesh – Souna breathed out. The word drowned by the surrounding noises of the busy bar.

-The forbidden library that was burned to the ground – The warrior nodded at her in affirmation with a pained smile – So, all this time I have been praying that you and your premonitions were wrong for once. Because those kids are in great danger if my suspicions are right.

-They are – The Xoltunian Queen confirmed, anxiously covering her mouth with her hand as she gasped – Phomeryka grew up listening to that stupid myth, and she is practically obsessed with it!

-It’s not entirely a myth – Ussiariah sternly corrected her – I guess it was just easier to embellish the story beyond belief at the time and let it fade into collective oblivion in order to keep others from repeating what the Garhians did.

-Well... You seem pretty sure of it – Souna commented. Eyeing him with awakened intrigue and resting her chin on her hand.

-As sure as I can be – The warrior confidently admitted – After all, Alesh and Yahurian history are tightly linked. Agharon was supposedly one of the first tyrants the Order got rid of, if not the first... And some even speculate that our founders, Hagnha-Xe and Edanto Pharius, were truly of Aleshian descent.

-So, it DID happen then – Souna winced in realization – I always thought it was all just an old cautionary child’s tale.

-And it is, to some extent – Ussi explained – But perhaps the reality is a tad more innocuous than the whole mysticism that has always surrounded the fantasy of Alesh. The way I see it, everything is reduced to human greed in the end… King Agharon didn’t envy the knowledge stored in their library. As people say, the truth is far more practical, it was their water that he wanted to possess.

-So, the city wasn’t turned into a pile of smoking ashes just because of their impressive library, as we were led to believe, was it? – The Xoltunian monarch scoffed.

-No – Ussiariah murmured, casually smacking his lips – But this explanation was deemed a lot less harmful by our kind. Because revealing to the world that Alesh sits right on the largest subterranean stream ever seen would have led to a bigger m******e than it already had, all the more so in a region like that.

-Then what is real and what is not? – Histya curiously wondered out aloud – Because that legend also says that they were turned into statues and whatnot, but I highly doubt there is a field full of Garhian salty corpses standing somewhere in the Aleshian moors, don’t you, Yahun?

-At this point, who knows? – Ussi amusedly responded, shrugging off – And honestly, it doesn’t really matter anymore. The important thing here is that, as you well said, the desert is crawling with savage clans beyond Cahen's walls, and describing them as hostile is a poor understatement. So, regardless of Alesh existing or not, we better hurry up if we want to catch up with them.

-So, finally, you’ve come to your senses! – The Xolunian sarcastically pointed out – I’m glad we are on the same page at last, Yahun, because that crazy expedition needs to be over, it’s time we retrieve our children and stop this charade!

-That is not what I said, Histya – The warrior politely dissented, standing on his feet and beginning to walk away – I just want to find those kids before they end up dead.

Ussiariah´s eyes rose from the spear he was working on to find his wife staring intently at him from the bed while she eagerly bit her lip.

-What? – He innocently asked. A coy smile creeping up his face when he put the weapon down on the table – Do you want me to stop? Am I being too loud?

-You know perfectly well I could watch you sharpen that tool for days on end – Souna suggestively answered, keeping her sight purposefully trained on him.

-How boring! There are plenty of more entertaining things that we could do – Ussi playfully responded, distractedly blowing a strand of hair off his face, and beckoning her with his index finger to the corner where he sat – Come here.

-What is it? – Souna giggled, feigning obliviousness as she tiptoed towards him and reached for his trousers – What have you got there, uh? Perhaps another unmaintained tool?

-Maybe later – Ussi grunted in a strained voice, seizing her hand from cradling his nether zone and keeping it clutched in his as he pulled her towards him – Let’s start with this first, shall we?

In one fluid movement, he turned her around and slid her undergarments down at the same time. Making her sit on his lap while he kept her legs spread open and located an already bulging sprout.

His eyelids closing as he rested his head against the wall behind him with an earnest sigh and blindly set to work on the drenched bud, feeling the rumble of Souna´s moans against his bare chest while her back leaned over it, and he heard the sounds escalate in intensity until he could almost touch the pulsating energy building up inside her with his fingertip.

The dull reverberation of her imminent climax drumming on his ribs and coursing intoxicatingly through his skin as she began uncontrollably quaking and hollering, her nails slightly clawing at his thighs as she held to them and loudly reached her orgasm while he kept her securely suspended on his lap, with one arm wrapped loosely around her neck and his other hand buried down her crotch, the spasmodic contractions of her pleasure rhythmically throbbing against his digit like the most exquisite melody.

-You know how I hate saying this, but Histya is right – Souna breathlessly mumbled after a silent while, reclining her head on his shoulder and straining her face backwards to look at him, cupping his cheek – For weeks, I thought you seemed so perfectly composed that I was mad. You were calm as long as we believed that they were heading to the boondocks, but that was only because we were heading there as well, was it not? I don’t know why it took me so long to see it, but I see it now… Deep inside, you’re just as heartbroken as I am.

-Of course I am! – Ussi cried out, driving his harsh palm over hers and squeezing it tightly as his voice cracked – My kids have grown, and I can no longer carry them around or feel their warm breathing against my chest. They’ve learned to walk, and they’ve walked away. Now, all that is left to do is to trust in what we’ve taught them, and hope that we’ve taught them well… So, no. I’m not only heartbroken, Love, I’m terrified!