The Land Below our Feet III (Legacy)

DIRECTIONS

-You wanted to see me, Sir?– Axe muttered as he hesitantly scurried through the door and took quick notice of the other man present in the room besides the Cahenean captain and the masked Yahurian guard.

-I did – Phomtek replied, briefly gesturing at the empty seat before him – There are some things that we need to discuss. So, please, sit down before I change my mind and call this whole thing off.

The blue-haired youngster stole a suspicious glance towards the vacant chair, letting out a decided exhalation and pulling it back, then cautiously settling on it with his eyes purposefully locked on the bearded man sitting across the table and the two other soldiers that leaned against the clay plaster on the wall.

-Have you decided to give me directions, so I can get to Alesh, Sir? – Axe excitedly asked, giving the Uplander a hopeful stare.

-No. What I’ve decided is that I won’t let you fools perish in this suicidal quest – Phomtek resignedly exhaled – It is clear that you're going to try and find that forsaken place with or without my help… My daughter is right, I don’t see you quitting now that you’ve already made it this far.

He paused, pensively pinching the tanned spot of flesh between his thick eyebrows a few times.

-Naturally, I could always throw you in the dungeons and keep you locked in there… I certainly would prefer it that way – The officer pondered briefly before titling his head towards the masked man standing at his right – But the Yahun here insists that The Guider has specifically ordered him not to interfere, and in any case, I know how stubborn you kids can be. So, I am going to at least make sure that you don’t end up buried in the dunes instead.

-Thank you, Sir – The visitor sheepishly mumbled, awkwardly fidgeting with his feet – That means a lot to me.

-Well… Let us see if you still feel the same way once you find yourself walking across that scorching hell – The Cahenean dismissively grunted with a faint chuckle, his attention then diverting towards the other soldier standing by him – This is Finjël. He was the leader of the mission when I disappeared that day… And he is the best chance you’ve got if you’re going to ever find Alesh.

-You were merely a tiny infant the last time I saw you, Axe, but you were already causing a lot of trouble wherever you went, my child – The hardened warrior spoke, narrowing his dark eyes at the blue-haired youngster – And I see that the situation hasn’t changed much now. Here you are, after all this time, wanting to unveil a secret that doesn’t want to be found.

-Knowledge isn’t supposed to be hidden like that – Axe calmly replied – It is a basic human right.

-And so is life, and freedom! – Finjël angrily commented – But humans have a way to threaten them all every single time!

-Gentlemen – Akoh politely chimed in – Can we please refocus on the more relevant issue here? How do we find the Aleshian Library in that endless sea of sand?

-You find a Kakthos wren first – Phomtek gravely stated – I believe that bird is your only way to the oasis Alesh is settled in… At least that’s what got me close enough last time.

-How? – The masked man breathed out. His open question lingering in the warm air between them for a silent while.

-There was a sandstorm – Finjël began recounting – To this day, it remains the worst I’ve ever seen… And it caught us unguarded.

-We had been deployed to deal with a disgruntled tribe – Phomtek continued to say – I was young and tired… We had been on the road for days at that point, and in the middle of all that raging dust, somehow, I got disoriented. When the dirt cleared out sufficiently for my eyes to see an inch ahead of my nose it was already too late, I was irremediably lost.

-So, what did you do? – Axe excitedly inquired – Did you keep on walking aimlessly and stumbled upon Alesh?

-Haha! No, boy – The Cahenean bitterly smirked – I was a sixteen-year-old kid, with no provisions and no idea of where I was… I did the only thing that came to mind, I sat down and cried. And I was starting to make peace with the imminence of my own death when I saw the shadow of a bird over my head.

-A Kakthos wren – Akoh deduced with a small tilt of his masked face – the unmistakable sign of a possible source of water ahead.

-A very tiny one, just like that solitary wren – Phomtek agreed – But I began frantically tumbling after it as fast as I could anyway, trying to keep it in sight despite the blinding sunlight in my eyes for hours on end. Until I could no longer discern if what I had been following was a real creature or just a figment of my imagination… And then my legs failed.

The large, bearded soldier abruptly closed his eyelids then, and he kept them tightly shut as he resumed speaking in a reminiscing tone.

-The last thing my eyes saw before I collapsed flat on my back was the fuzzy outline of that wren happily spinning in circles among the clouds over my head – He wheezed – When I reopened them, I was lying on a stone table and the Librarian was staring at me with her millenarian gaze.

-What does she look like? – Axe precipitously asked, deeply enthralled – Is she a decrepit old woman, like the legend says?

-Oh, I only saw her for a blurry moment, but I assure you that she was one of the most beautiful visions I’ve had the privilege to attest – The Cahenean declared, energetically shaking his head – She asked me a bunch of questions about who I was and what I was doing there. And once she was satisfied with the confused answers that my teen-self was capable of giving her, she released me to the group of scouters that had initially brought me to her.

-So, are you telling me that you were found half-dead by mere chance in the middle of the desert, and conveniently hauled to Alesh by a group of well-intentioned men? – The Yahurian scoffed in disbelief, with a raised eyebrow – No offense, Sir. But that sounds more like a delirious episode to me than anything else.

-No, not men, but women – Phomtek corrected him – And yes, they did... They patched me up, they let me stay there right until I was strong enough to stand on my feet again, then they blindfolded me, they mounted me on a camel, and sent me on my way. I know how outlandish it all sounds, and I would have dismissed it as a hallucination as well if I were you. So, I don't blame you for it.

-But it happened – Finjël intervened, giving the Yahurian a severe nod – The Gods know that I would have been the first to discard such a ludicrous tale if I hadn't been there to witness Phomtek´s return myself, and to be the recipient of the numerous threats they made that day to ensure that we never dared to come looking for them again.

-I will be forever grateful and in debt to this man – Phomtek sniffled with clouded eyes, patting Finjël's back – He could have just proceeded with the mission and left me for dead, but instead, he stayed in place for days, lighting fires every morning in the hope that I would see the smoke and find my way back, highly risking being attacked at the same time. He could have just abandoned me there! But he didn´t! I am alive today because of this man.

-Well, I never liked leaving my soldiers behind – The senior warrior lightly smiled – And it surely paid off! Those women found our campsite, and, against all odds, they gave you back! But the important thing here, Phomtek, is that they asked for one simple thing in return… To be left alone, and here we are now, about to break that promise because of the obstinacy of a blue-haired child.

-No! Let it be clear that the only reason I am willing to humor this crazy expedition is to honor the Yahurian's request, and because I'm not one to stand against fate – The Cahenean Captain bluntly announced, purposefully ogling Axe – Now, I’m going to tell you the rules, kid, and you are to follow them at all times.

The unexpected touch of a cold, clammy hand touching his shoulder as he had just entered the dark chamber made Axe jump in surprise, but then, the familiar giggle reached his ears and immediately made him smile.

-Well… Don’t just stand there, you silly! Tell me! What did he say? – Phomeryka eagerly questioned him, impatiently tugging at his sleeve.

-We’ve got twelve days of supplies and a week to find it – Axe sternly informed her – If we don’t, then we are expected to come back, no buts, no excuses, and no questions asked. Finjël and Akoh are coming with us. So, we are supposed to obey them and do as they say.

-But not Father though – The Xoltunian quickly deduced, the disappointment briefly clouding her sight before she brushed it off and composed a careless smile – Duty always comes first for that man.

-No – The blue-haired boy winced with concern at the memory of the Uplander's final words to him earlier that day – Somehow, he still seemed pretty convinced that your mom and my parents are coming this way. So, he must stay behind to face the consequences once they arrive, he said.