Chapter 30: The Road To Saran

Chapter 30: The Road To Saran

Vir was out the moment his head touched sand, and for the first few hours, he slept like a log. Then, as the sun rose, and the temperature went from pleasantly warm to unbearably hot, he began to toss and turn, as did Maiya.

It was the sweat that dripped into his eyes that forced him to wake up. His armpits had turned into a river, and his back was just as soaked. Thankfully, hed removed his shirt prior to falling asleep, but that just meant granules of sand now stuck to his wet back.

AAAAAH!! GET IT OFF GET IT OFFFF!!

Vir jolted upright to Maiyas screams. He immediately reached for his katar, ready to do battle with pirates.

How did they findoh! Nevermind. With a sigh, he slowly put his weapon back down.

Maiya, its just a little scorpion.

Its icky and gross noooo!

Uh, oh. Shes crying now. Better do something

Maiya clutched at her hair, desperately trying to rid herself of the small creature that was undoubtedly panicking as much as she was.

Just hold still, Vir said, gently pulling the scorpion out of her hair and setting it down on the sand outside the tent. You almost broke our tent, Maiya.

What was I supposed to do? Just lie still and hope it went away? Maiya said, sitting with her knees drawn up to her face.This chapter is updated by nov(e)(l)biin.com

Vir rolled his eyes. These scorpions cant hurt you, Maiya. At worst, theyll sting you, but their venom is useless against humans.

This wasnt the first time this kind of thing had happened. He was sure it wouldnt be the last.

Youre such a mess, she said, commenting on his makeup.

Thats rich, coming from you. Have you taken a look at yourself? Vir countered. Maiya hadnt taken off her top for obvious reasons, leaving her shirt sticky and soiled. Good thing Riyan gave us another set of clothes.

Ugh, was Maiyas reply. Vir was used to being dirty. Maiya? Not so much.

Bet you wish you had a Water affinity right about now! He teased. At least you wouldnt have to worry about keeping clean.

His friend frowned. I guess It sure would be nice to conjure water whenever I felt like it. Apex Fire and Greater Water would be nice. Rare combination, too. Yep, thatd be nice. Water affinitys supposed to be rare, though.

True, Vir replied. There were no utility orbs that could conjure water out of thin air, after all. Water was one of those unique affinities that had applications both in and out of combat.

Vir wondered whether ice affinity magic could conjure drinking water, but he didnt know what spells that school of magic possessed. He supposed Maiya would find out soon enough once she began her mejai training.

Peeking outside, he saw the sun still high in the sky. He made a fist and sneaked an arm outside the tent, then held it straight out. Four fist widths from the horizon to the sun.

Looks like four hours of daylight left, he said. See if you can get some more sleep. Ill get food going.

Maiya responded by flopping back onto the sand.

Vir crawled out of the tent, leaving its shaded protection. The sun blared down on his skin, but thanks to the makeup on his face and arms, he managed alright.

In this scorching heat, the last thing he wanted to do was to build a fire. But food had to be cooked, and he didnt want to dip into their nonperishables just yet. Vir resigned himself to his fate and unstrapped the small bundle of firewood theyd strapped onto Bumpy.

To hide the flames, he dug a small ditch in the sand. Even during the day, the light of a fire was visible from afar. Thankfully, it was a lot easier digging into sand than dirt. But because of the heat, Vir soon found himself heaving from exertion, anyway.

The one area that had improved the least was his stamina. Vir was forced to sit down to recover his energy, and as he analyzed his black prana with Prana Vision, he suspected why.

Hed noticed before that his black prana was a tiny trickle compared to the prana inside Riyan or Maiya. Finally, he understood why: it leaked, continuously. The more effort he spent and the faster his blood pumped, the more it leaked. Both into the air, and through his feet into the ground.

He didnt really understand what effects prana depletion had, but Riyan had said that it was the energy of life, so he doubted it was a good sign.

Its almost like Im being sucked dry, he thought. But why?

No matter how much he wracked his brain, he couldnt explain why only his prana leaked out. Was his body generating more prana all the time, only for it to be sapped away? The same leakage never once happened with Riyan or Maiya. And if prana really did support life, he wondered how the people in the Voidlands survived at all.

Did they also feel weak all the time? he wondered as he got the fire going. Since the man himself wasnt around to say no, theyd borrowed one of Riyans luxury itemsa magnifying glass.

Vir lifted the heavy lens and held it above the tinder pieces hed arranged at the bottom of the pit hed dug, creating a tiny spot of incredibly bright light on the wood.

Hed never used anything like this before, though Rudvik had told him stories about how they operated. All he really had to do was hold the lens long enough to heat the wood. Something about how it concentrated the suns light to fry whatever you pointed it at.

It sounded like magic to Vir when hed first heard about it, but as it so often turned out, reality disappointed. His arms grew heavy from hefting the heavy object when a small sizzle finally showed that the lens was working.

Now it was a race against time: would Virs arms give out first? Or would the smoking tinder catch fire?

Challenge Accepted.

Perspiration flowed down his face like a river, but Vir endured. And after a short but fierce battle of mind against muscle, his persistence prevailed. The tinder lithe had a fire, and meal prep was officially in progress.

Maiya glanced at Vir, who responded. Were the sons of a merchant based out of Daha. Weve made this trip several times. Thank you for your concern, but we do not require any aid at this time.

Vir was surprised by his own confidence. The pirate encounter had left both of them rattled, so he wasnt sure if he could pull it off.

Were on a trade run to buy Ranian textiles from Saran, Maiya said, riffing off of Virs statement. Better deals at the port, you see.

Oho? the man said, twisting the ends of his absurd mustache. He leaned over and stared for an uncomfortable amount of time.

Do you have any business with us? Vir said, growing anxious.

Has he seen through our disguise?

Not at all, young ones. I apologize for my intrusion. I pray to Adinat that your mission is profitable. Good day.

He kicked his Ashva and sped forward.

They both let out a breath. Thought wed been made! Maiya said.

Same. That was weird, Vir replied, watching the man disappear into the distance, his beasts hooves clacking against the cobblestone road.

And how the heck is his Ashva so fast!? He said, gaping at the animals speed. It moved twice as fast as Bumpy did when he ran all out.

Some Ashva are bred for speed, Maiya replied, but they cant travel as far. Of course, top tier animals can do both, but they cost a lot more.

Did Riyan teach you that too?

She shook her head. Nope, dad did. So anyway, what do you think that was about?

Wish I knew.

Yet something nagged at his mind as they rode on, like an itch he couldnt quite scratch. Minutes later, it finally clicked. Say, he said. Wasnt that man going the other way when he bumped into us? Wasnt he leaving Saran?

Maiya tapped her chin. Now that you mention it Yeah. Yeah, he was. Wait, she said, the color draining from her face. You think

I hope not, Vir said, but he had a bad feeling about this. Stay sharp, Maiya.

City walls appeared on the horizon just as the sun set, painting the sky with its brilliant hues.

For Vir and Maiya, whod never once laid eyes on a proper city before, the walls stood imposingly tall. Soldiers walked along its ramparts, and its many crenellations and arrow slits cued up tales of fantasy and myth in their minds.

Had they looked closer, theyd have noticed cracks in its foundation, gaps in the security patrols, and a myriad of other signs that told a different story entirely.

Time to put our acting skills to the test, I guess, Vir mumbled, seeing the line of wagons and carriages waiting to enter Saran. The guards were stopping everyone before allowing them to enter.

Dont worry, I got this, Maiya said. Let me do the talking. Riyan told me that businesses ordinarily need papers to get through, but Sawai dont. And apparently, its a big deal if a commoner is rude to nobility, so well play that to our advantage. Plus, were arriving during the day. He said the security checks get worse at night, since thats when the shadier types try to get in.

Vir wondered whether that was true, or whether it was just the less competent brigands who arrived at night. If he wanted to enter illegally, hed do so during the day, just as they were doing now. He suspected others did the same, but since no one caught them, no one knew.

Virs nerves grew tauter and tauter as they crept closer to the gates. We couldve traveled another dozen miles in the time its taken for us to inch closer to the gate. This is so frustrating! he ranted.

After what felt like an eternity to Vir, their turn finally arrived. As theyd discussed, he let Maiya do the talking.

Papers, please, the guard said. The man wore a full length gray gambeson with the Hiranyan coat of arms embroidered on his chest. His only weapon was a talwar, which hung from his waist, but the other handful of guards that loitered nearby all wielded polearms.

The mere sight of that infernal weapon drummed up terrible memories inside Vir, forcing him to look away.

Maiya feigned a look of shock. You would ask a child of the Suvir family for their papers? Do you not see who I am, you fool?

Vir could scarcely believe the words pouring out of Maiyas mouth. Her swaggering, overconfident tone was unlike anything hed ever heard before.

The guard jolted back at Maiyas words. No, ser, no, of course not. Just doing my job, ser. May I ask your lordship what business brings you to our city?

Maiya gazed at her fingernails as if she were bored out of her mind and that being here was the worst thing in the world.

Oh, its all very droll, you see. Father wants us to buy some of those new Ranian textiles everyones been talking about in the capital. Honestly, can you believe that? He tasked us to come out here to the arse-end of nowhere to do a servants bidding! Maiya said, letting out a very long sigh. But I suppose that well peruse the wares, now that were here. You understand, dont you?

Oh yes, ser. Absolutely. Please dont let us keep you any longer. We hope you enjoy your stay in our city.

Oh, I am quite certain I wont, but I appreciate the gesture, Maiya said, tossing a small sack of Imperium coppers to the guard.

The man fumbled to catch the sack before hurriedly stuffing it into his gambeson. Vir wondered whether bribery was the norm here, or if it was something that fell under the dont ask, dont tell category. From the way the guard hid the coins, he suspected the latter.

Vir guided Bumpy past the checkpoint and took a deep breath. His heart quickened and his palms tightened around Bumpys reins.

After all, it wasnt every day that someone stepped foot into a city for the first time in their life.

Next time: 31 - Country Bumpkins