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CHAPTER FIVE

IN WHICH THE QUEST IS BEGUN

We discussed the Kereti heiress as a group that evening.

I consulted the town job board again and found the new posting, bringing it back to camp for the group to go over in detail.

Likely printed with ink containing the same mana -resistant metal that currency was made from, it bore the family crest, and the details were as the waitress had told us.

Excitement reached an all-time high.

Though Vee didn’t like the idea, the majority won out, and we agreed to leave the following morning.

Vee, Jük, and Ked would stay put, maintaining the section of forest we called home and praying for our safe return.

As much as it would have been helpful, the wagon and avida also stayed behind, since at least one leg of our journey would be by ship, and it would have been a logistical nightmare.

Without further ado, we packed our things and set out with the sun, heading north along the wide path through the forest that served as a main road.

Daethie started the conversation some fifteen minutes in. “How far is it, anyway?”

She told us that morning that she’d nearly regained the use of her wing but wasn’t yet ready for a day’s worth of flying.

Yrra, ever the gentleman, had offered his shoulder on the spot, assuring her that he didn’t mind.

He also carried her things for her. That was no hardship, given that her diminutive possessions didn’t compare to the immense bundles of necessary items the rest of us had strapped to our backs.

“I’m not sure,” I responded.

At the same time, Luthri began to say, “We’re looking at?—”

We both fell silent, indicating for the other to continue with a series of grunts and hand motions.

The leadership role in this escapade had fallen to me, something I was equal parts glad and distressed about.

I didn’t care for the itching burn of responsibility and how it had settled itself in the forefront of my mind like a roosting hen.

On the other hand, it meant that I had some deal of control over the rest of these fools, and that felt good.

“Ah. Right.” I cleared my throat and adjusted my pack so that it didn’t dig into my shoulders. “I don’t know yet. Once we find a decent place to stop for the night, I’ll see about getting us a map. Then we can figure out the best route.”

Lu spoke up. “If I may… If we stay on this road and keep up the pace, we should reach an inn by nightfall. That location is used to getting travelers who are heading this way, so they ought to have some resources we can make use of.”

While I didn’t trust Luthri enough to take him at his word, it made sense to stay on the main road. We were sure to come across businesses eventually. And if he had been truthful about what he’d been up to, he might very well be familiar with all the inns in the area.

“Great. Perfect. Let’s do that.”

Vyrain appeared beside me, flanked by his brother. Their bruises from yesterday’s scuffle were already faint, though they moved with added care. “May I just say, Mar, that you are looking lovely today,” he announced with a pointed look in Luthri’s direction.

Hohem made an exaggerated gesture conveying his exasperation. I couldn’t agree more .

Not to be outdone, Lu chimed in. “I can’t imagine there’s been a day when she hasn’t.”

“You’ve only known her for a day,” Vyrain retorted.

“How about we stick to travel-related topics?” I suggested, barely able to restrain myself from rolling my eyes. I’d have to think of some way to keep them off each other’s backs; there was no way I’d be able to make it more than a couple of days listening to the two of them.

“Sounds good to me,” said Hohem.

“How about we get to know our newest addition?” Daethie chirped from Yrra’s shoulder. “What brought you to this area, Lu?”

He had to give it some thought. “I suppose I’ve always been a roamer. Haven’t yet found a place that felt right. Plus, with a… how to put it… a ‘people-centric’ quest like mine, you can make enemies quite quickly. It doesn’t do me good to stay in one place very long.”

“Maybe you could take Yrra under your wing while we’re all here,” Daethie remarked. “He could use some tips for sealing the deal when it comes to romantic pursuits.”

Yrra’s ears darkened with a blush.

“Don’t your kind have harems?” Lu asked, blinking in surprise.

“Yes,” Yrra answered hesitantly. After a moment of expectant silence, his blush deepened, and he added, “They… Our women like strong males. Providers.”

“It’s a stupid system,” Daethie said, folding her arms. “You’ve got one stud and a load of broodmares.

The women sit there looking pretty and popping out babies, and they all play happy family.

Sometimes, the men fight each other for their territory or their women, but that’s the only redeeming part. Otherwise, it’s hopelessly dull.”

Yrra’s lips pressed together in a thin line.

“Fascinating,” Luthri murmured. “Not unlike the lifestyle of avida . ”

“Who are you to judge?” Vyrain butted in on Yrra’s behalf. “At least that makes sense. I’ve never seen or heard of a male Aminkinya . Do your young drop from trees when they’re ready to go, like vali nuts? Do kainna fly them to your clan’s nest in little baskets?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” Daethie made a rude gesture that roughly translated to “mind your own business.” “It may surprise you to know that genitals aren’t everything.”

“He’s a male.” I couldn’t hide my smile. “For him, genitals are everything.”

“I don’t suppose we could come up with a topic that’s slightly more mature?” Hohem asked with one eyebrow raised. “As much as I’m sure we’d all love to talk about dicks all day.”

“Are you rich?” was Daethie’s next question, directed at Luthri.

“Daethie,” I hissed.

“It’s all right.” Lu laughed off her question.

“I’m comfortable. It’s all luck. My mother is a renowned mender, so my siblings and I had a good start to life.

I helped her with business during my teen years.

Early experience and learning how to manage money makes certain things easy, which makes other things easy. It’s a trickle-down effect.”

“How many siblings do you have?” I figured that was a nice, neutral question.

“Eleven. Four sisters, seven brothers.”

My jaw dropped.

“We Peri have children in broods, you know,” he continued conversationally. “Young are born live, of course, usually two to six at a time. Big families are to be expected.”

The thought of twelve babies made my vagina ache in solidarity.

I couldn’t imagine. And having that many young children running around at once?

How on Earth did Peri moms manage? Were they all wealthy, so they didn’t have to work while they focused on family?

Did they form communities to help raise each other’s children while others worked ?

“Speaking of children, I don’t know if we ever broached the topic, Mar.” Vyrain’s attention turned to me. “Do you want children? How many do you hope for?”

I should have been surprised that the line of questioning came to this point… ‘Should have’ being the operative phrase.

“That would be a decision for future me to make,” I responded. “And also none of your business. Even if I was interested, don’t you think there are several get-to-know-someone questions you should ask before that? Do you even know what my favorite color is?”

“Green,” he replied without missing a beat.

“Nope. Try again.”

“Blue?” Luthri suggested.

“Yellow,” Daethie guessed.

Even Yrra joined in. “Black?”

Shaking my head, I huffed a laugh. “Whose favorite color is black?”

“Red,” Hohem tried.

I pointed. “That’s it. You got it.”

“The color of blood,” Daethie mused. “Fitting.”

“Also the most common color of rinsom , which happens to be my favorite flower,” I countered. “Not that anyone’s keeping track.”

“ Rinsom ,” Vyrain muttered to himself.

“Won’t you tell me about your kind, Mar?” Luthri asked, changing the subject.

“Ah… humans?” I racked my brain for a suitable response.

Most fae, in my limited experience, either weren’t aware of The Rift or didn’t care.

But I’d gotten some strange reactions in the past when I tried to explain where I was from, so it was easier to maintain an air of mystery.

Vee and Jük knew the truth, but as far as the others were concerned, I was from some super remote area in southern Wysalar.

That worked for me. Who knew how they would react if they learned what I was and the fact I’d been keeping the truth from them ?

“Well, we’re not from around here, obviously. I’ve been living in Kereti for about ten revolutions now, but I was born in the south. Uh… What do you want to know?”

Where did one start when it came to explaining one’s species?

“The average person is like me, for the most part. The same general shape, I mean, but we have males, females, and genders in between. And we come in a few different… colors, so to speak. We have lots of different languages and customs; not everyone’s the same.”

“Like the Ishameti ,” Vyrain offered.

“Sure,” I agreed. The Ishameti weren’t a single race, but rather an ethnic group of different races that all lived together in harmony, united under the Wysalar government.

They shared a religion, language, and certain other cultural aspects, but remained an amalgamation of peoples from different backgrounds, not unlike the United States.

“We’re an advanced people,” I continued, thinking of scientific and technological advancements established before I left.

“Somewhat, anyway. We’ve got cars and phones—eh, don’t worry about that.

But we don’t have a lot of magic users. So instead, we use technology.

That’s, um… advanced tools. And we have medicine instead of menders.

Well, we have menders too, but they’re not…

They can’t use magic, so that’s where medicine comes in. ”

Luthri struggled to wrap his head around what I was saying.