Chapter 28: "Stirrings by the Seaside"

“Good morning!” Cassiopeia beamed as she poked her head into the girl’s rooms. Arabella felt her face flush red, as she was in the middle of toweling herself dry, her clothes laying several feet away on the bed. The temple had constructed a spartan bath house around a creek-fed pond behind the ziggurat, and she had hurriedly bathed, hoping to avoid any further embarrassment in front of Caseus.

The female stegosaur didn’t even seem to register her embarrassment as she kept talking. “Father Elkeniah and I have prepared breakfast, whenever you are ready! Though I would urge haste, before the fruit draws flies!”

“T-Thank you!” Arabella stuttered, hurriedly pulling her clothes on.

“Yes, thank you, Sister.” Psaltria was much calmer by contrast. In fact she was suppressing a chuckle at her daughter's embarrassment.

While the two women finished getting ready, Cassie promptly poked her head into the men's room, with another cheery “Good morning!”

Again she was greeted with nudity, Caseus in the middle of dressing himself.

“Gah! Do nuns not know how to knock?” Caseus blustered, doing his best to cover up.

Shawk simply snorted in amusement. “That is another fair maiden you've exposed yourself to, my lord. Honestly…”

“Nevertheless, even the perverse are welcome at our breakfast table. Though I shall sincerely pray for your repentance, Harada, sir.”

“No, he did not mean- ‘Tis not like that! He means…” Caseus gave Shawk an unamused glare as the stegosaur left, wagging her tail in amusement.

***

After breakfast, and hurriedly changing Psaltria's bandages, the pair of clergy waved the group off as they went. Soon, the temple itself was just a speck on the horizon. The group travelled on, making small talk to pass the time. By midday, there were signs they were nearing the coast: a more mild breeze, the faintest hint of salt within it, alongside the increasing number of palm trees below and gulls above.

More noticeable signs included the increasing presence of civilization, like a trickle gradually turning into a river, before finally a sea of humanity. First the odd farm here or there, then mostly carpentry shops and smiths, with a focus on ship building. Then came the merchant’s shops and guilds, before the inns and taverns, before finally, atop a hill, the sprawling shores and docks of Sassukaru came into view.

Now, the once quiet trail was bustling. Ahead, they could see a pair of Camarosaurus hauling a massive wooden cart, the wooden skeleton of a ship lashed down tight, while a trio of chubby giant ground sloths, accompanied by a human acquaintance, hauled satchels and bags full of spices and goods toward a guild hall. Shrill cries came from overhead as dozens of messenger pterosaurs of all kinds flew about, coming and going from countless corners of the country.

“My, it has been some time, but I certainly don’t recall this being such a bustling hub!” Arabella seemed genuinely impressed at the sight before them.

Caseus simply shrugged. “Indeed, it has always been this way.” Already he was beginning to look towards the docks. “We shall take a brief rest at this inn, then make for the docks.”

“So, my prince, this friend of yours…” Psaltria spoke up, “they are…”

“Fishermen by trade,” Caseus said. Then, in a more hushed tone, “They've also made quite the inroads with the Nereids.”

“Bah! The Nereids?” There was a surprising amount of bitterness in the maiasaurs' voice. “Those pompous half-breeds fancy themselves as something special!”

“Mother, please, do not make such a scene.” Arabella shook her head. “Let the past wrest. Besides, I doubt they have been faring well these years, given the king's change over the years.”

Psaltria gave a huff. “Well, that would be the least they deserve…”

Shawk and Caseus exchanged a glance, silently agreeing to not push the issue for now.

***

The group ultimately agreed it was for the best that Psaltria remain in their room at the inn, rather than risk any further incidents. As they neared, the intricacies and details of Sassukaru became more clear. While the rural parts of the country were more noticeably falling into decay, thanks in no small part to the growing schism between Men and Beasts, Sassukaru was in much better condition. As a coastal trading port, the town had always been a cosmopolitan, socially liberal place. A place that prided itself on being different, although never as different or as defiant as Petraz.

As such, it seemed the relations between the two species was not nearly as strained as elsewhere in the country; this translated to streets, buildings and temples that were still kept well-maintained for all, rather than neglecting what they had originally been constructed for. This translated to streets lively bustling with happy humans and dinosaurs, even if there were no Shamans in sight to translate. Combined with the colorful street banners of white, indigo, viridian, and crimson, the town had an almost festive atmosphere, at least compared to the likes of Zab or Padtū.

Upon entering the town square, the group beheld a great fountain, fashioned from the overturned, hollowed shell of an enormous trilobite. The polished onyx shell had been encrusted with gems, which sparkled along with the crystalline water within, creating a dazzling display. Out of the bustling crowds moving through the square, every now and then, a few individuals would stop to peer in the water.

“I don't recall seeing such an odd fountain on my last visit,” Arabella remarked, curious. “Case- Erm, Harada, what is that odd fountain?”

“Oh?” Caseus raised an eyebrow. “I am surprised, I thought surely you would have heard of the Mirror of Shaitana here, especially if you were from the coast.”

“Nay, or at least, I have no memory of it I can recall. What is so special about it?”

A ferocious roar interrupted the conversation. It was distant, coming from the southeastern outskirts of town. This was not some equivalent shout from a Beast; it was wordless, primal rage.

Concerned murmurs went up from many in the crowd, with some turning their heads, while others affected indifference.

“Maybe we should save this for another time,” Caseus mused, looking back from the direction of the roar with unconcealed concern. “We must hurry to the docks, if we are to meet-”

Another roar interrupted, closer this time, accompanied by distant screams. And this time, the two Shamans recognized the speech of a Beast within it.

“Where?!” the voice bellowed.

Now the sounds of panicked screams and general pandemonium began to rise up in the city. Birds and pterosaurs began to take flight from their perches, while panicked men and dinosaurs that were unable to find shelter in buildings began to flee into the square.

“Where?! Where is he?!” The roars were closer now, almost upon the square, unmistakably the voice of a large female Beast.

Another surge of frightened masses washed into the square, before the source of the commotion revealed itself: a female Tyrannosaurus. Her hide was the same mottled black and brown as Caseus, though with only a single white stripe across the snout, as opposed to the mix of blues and whites of males. Likewise, her mane of feathers were exclusively soft and downy, whereas males bore their prickly hackle of quills.

“Where is he?!” the sow roared. “Where is that bastard Astarides?!” She bent down, picking up an abandoned fruit cart in her jaws, and hurling it across the square in a rage.

“Well, so much for hurrying,” Caseus groaned.

***

Elkeniah groaned as he rinsed the arrow wound in his arm. With their unexpected guests having departed less than an hour ago, he had tried to immediately go about his duties and chores in the temple, but found the growing burning pain from the wound to be unbearable. The priest was well aware of what an untreated infection could cost him, and so now he sat at the pond, ladling water onto the wound, with a bottle of herbal salve by his side. He had just begun to apply the ointment, when Cassiopeia’s voice called out.

“Father! Father!” It was impossible to miss the anxiety in her voice. Rebandaging the wound, Elkeniah dashed back into the temple, freezing in place as he entered the main sanctuary. Two of the troublemakers from Zab stood there, eerily pleasant looks on their faces. Cassie, meanwhile, clearly didn't trust them; the double row of plates running down her back flushed with blood, turning a deep violet. To stegosaurs, that was the color of fear.

“Ah, there you are Father!” the older of the two, Ibnir, if he recalled correctly, said. “I was hoping to find you! We tried speaking with the… Sister, here, but without a Shaman, feared she couldn't understand us!”

“Well, here am I,” Elkeniah said plainly. He tried his best to not betray any emotion, but it was not purely out of trying to control his temper. Ibnir had been the one to scold the boy after shooting him yesterday, and perhaps was the most reasonable of the bunch. But both of them, even the fierce-tempered brat Kai, had an oddly pleasant temperament after yesterday's bout of bloodthirst.

“Pardon me, but I thought you took my horse to help your injured comrade. Have you returned him?”

“Ah, no Father,” Ibnir said, chuckling in an almost flustered manner. “We left the rest of our group in the care of the doctors, but wanted to return and personally apologize for the wounds we inflicted upon you! Is that not so, Kai?”

“Yes Father, I sincerely hope you can forgive me for my ill-tempered decision, and any other sins I committed yesterday!”

Elkeniah was momentarily taken aback by the apologies, and though he did not entirely trust their intentions, he still gave a nod.

“Very well, I accept. And if you wish to offer you confessions to Heaven, the altar is atop the ziggurat. It is open to all.”

“Thank you, Father, but I am afraid we must be returning to our friends,” Ibnir said, giving a courteous bow. “Oh, but before we depart, is that Harada gentleman and his party still present? I would like to extend our apologies to them as well.”

“I am afraid not, they departed not long ago.” The priest exchanged a cautious, subtle glance with Cassie.

“Oh, would you happen to know where they were headed then?” It was now Kai speaking, hardly containing the excitement, and a hint of consternation, in his voice. “If possible, I would like to catch up to them and apologize as well!”

Being a priest, Elkeniah had dealt with his fair share of liars and deceivers. Some had been bold enough to lie to his face, in the temple itself. He sometimes questioned his faith, seeing such blatant sin not result in the guilty being struck dead on the spot. Yet just like those before them, Ibnir and Kai remained standing, acting as if they were nothing but apologetic.

“I am sorry, but I-”

“Oh good Father,” a new voice interrupted, “please do not say you don't know.”

A silver-haired woman, dressed in chiton, stepped through the main sanctuary. She carried a bow openly in one hand, an arrow already knocked.

“Please, tell me where Harada has gone. He, that overgrown baby, and that loathsome Duck Bill of theirs.”