New Allies

Sayane smiled in confidence then immediately turned mortified when she realized she had sleep hair and drowsy eyes. She imagined it was far from the noble,wondrous image the messengers expected to see. But their open mouths and lack of words seemed to say that they were more than impressed, regardless of her appearance. The rocky figure could not close his mouth, but the other small creature broke the silence.

It let out a feminine moan of pleasure that caused Sayane’s blush to return. Attis and Erosc both turned away slightly in embarrassed uncertainty as the small creature floated up from Attis’s shoulder to be eye level with Sayane.

“Mmmmm. It has been so very long since I felt the surges of a songstress’s power. You awoke something deep in me, dear songstress,” purred a voice that seemed to be coming from inside of Sayane’s mind.

“T-thank you…” Sayane said nervously as the floating being neared her and came into focus.

What Sayane beheld was simultaneously erotic and adorable. The being was both feminine and masculine, with insect-like features blending into a human-like form. Their hair was made of small braided vines, and their undressed body was fully exposed, save for small adornments of leaves. Sayane found herself raising her hand without thinking, and the being landed in her palm in a seductive pose.

Attis finally returned to his thoughts and cleared his throat.

“S-Sayane the Songstress, behold. Before you is Anahita of the Akna. They are an ancient race, from before the rise of machina. Keepers of nature’s order and cultivators of… f-fertility,” Attis said with a blush as he looked away.

Indeed, the small being was flustering Sayane quite severely as she watched the tiny body shift between feminine and masculine form while sliding down on its spread knees until its soft body came to repose in Sayane’s hand. All while maintaining eye contact with Sayane…

“You’re… we called them faes or fairies in my previous world,” said Sayane.

“I have never heard of such a word, but if you wish to call me that, you may, beautiful she-hume,” crooned the tiny being known as Anahita.

Anahita’s small finger slid along the raised veins of Sayane’s wrist, and she felt a pulse move from her chest and down to her inner thighs. Flashes of the sight of Azag’s hands sliding his broad fingers into secret slots of machina danced in Sayane’s mind, and she almost squeaked in embarrassment.

To her great relief, the wide stone creature finally spoke.

“So you truly are an ethereal?” it asked in a deep, growling, gravely rasp.

“I almost didn’t believe the rumors or the revolutionary scout. But you truly are here. This is the most wondrous moment of my existence,” said the rocky figure as it knelt before her.

Attis patted the rocky shoulder.

“Behold, Saxum the Stoic. Storykeeper of the Psephos. Direct descendants of the crystals, their kind were some of the first to gain wisdom and walk as living beings.”

Brown, polished stone was lined with amber streaks. When the light hit his body just right, hints of blue shone through. It had a single large glowing orb in the center of its body that pivoted and shifted for sight. Its arms were long, broad, and covered in chipped, aged stone. Sayane held out her free hand to help Saxum rise.

“It is an honor to welcome you both. I’m sure you have already been told this, but I wish to free the Great Harmony Shards. With your help, and your people’s help, we can destroy the Dissonance,” said Sayane.

Only then did she realize they were missing the third messenger.

“Where is the third? Were we able to find the remaining shard?” she asked.

Erosc and Saxum both sighed.

“As Storykeeper for my people, I have great knowledge of all noble crystals left in the realms, including the Shards. I have told your leadership a harsh truth…” he said.

Erosc scratched his wound and inhaled.

“Our scouts confirmed it to be true. The other Shard is in the hands of The Silence. Even more so, it seems as if they built their very capital around its enormous form.”

His words came like a blow. Though Sayane had just seen that The Revolution was capable of moving one of the massive Shards, she had never considered that any of the other Shards might be moved to concerning locations. If The Silence had the remaining Shard, then her tour just took a very interesting turn.

“Well, we’ll have to get creative for that one. We’ll deal with it last, I suppose,” Sayane said with a devious smirk.

Even though she was concerned with this new revelation, there was too much positive momentum underway for her to despair. For now, all she focused on was the three Shards they had access to. So she returned her focus to the two guests.

“I have a plan. You caught a glimpse of what I can do with these instruments. These others have seen what I can do with small crowds. I need you to get me a big crowd.”

“I want to come to your realm and perform for the Shards. With enough strength, I believe I can destroy the Dissonance barriers. But it will take a great amount of support,” she added.

Anahita’s wings fluttered, and she lifted into the air with a graceful spin.

“You wish to come perform for us?” Anahita asked.

“Yes,” Sayane replied.

“Mmmm, delightful. Long have we been starved for color. Plants refuse to bloom. Trees refuse to bear fruit. All the world begs for song. To see it finally return, my body trembles with anticipation,” moaned Anahita.

Saxum nodded in agreement.

“My people tried to save our ancient sister from her bondage, but the Dissonance was beyond our power. If the songstress could free her, we would welcome you with open arms.”

Sayane jumped slightly and clapped upon hearing their words.

“And not just your people. Whomever you wish to invite, have them join. Or, if they cannot join, have them listen with these,” Sayane said as she pointed to the crate which Azag was already opening.

Saxum received the Voice Carriers with joy as though reuniting a long-lost friend. Seeing its excitement stirred another wave of creativity in Sayane.

“If you are able and willing, I would like to sit with you over the next few days to learn about your people before we set off to perform,” Sayane said.

“You wish to learn about us?” Anahita asked in curiosity.

“Yes. If I am going to sing for you, I want my music to resonate with you as well. Not just the Shards,” Sayane explained.

“But first, I’d like you to join us tonight,” she added.

Attis’s ears perked. Erosc turned to face her. Azag’s hand came to rest on her shoulder in anticipation. Purple hues glowed from the bracers’ inlaid stones as the instruments listened. Sayane’s free hand closed to a resolute fist.

“Tonight, I’m performing the first show of my tour. Tonight, I am destroying the Dissonance that is silencing the first Great Harmony Shard!”