A Southern Journey

1

A young boy laid flat on his back, staring at the stars through the top o the spire. A swarm of points of light, suspended in space, drifted about in a circle throughout the spire. The patterned sash wrapped around his left shoulder and the thickly woven vest underneath felt heavy. He breathed deeply, feeling his chest rise up and down.

“Elkroot. Get up. You’re not sleeping, are you?” A woman stood over him, her stern expression still clear.

The boy named Elkroot opened his half-closed eyes. He winced with a bit of effort as he lifted his head and stared back at her.

“I’m bored. Greetings, Emily. Is there an issue?”

“I just came to check on you,” she said. “How are you feeling? Is the barrier holding well?”

“I’m fine. I counted two hits from the south-east and eight from the north-west. I could go on for a while longer or hold up the barrier as I sleep, if I want. My sister may be struggling, as always. Help her if you want.” He yawned. He looked away from the woman and back at the top of the spire. The faint blue shimmer of the barrier appeared as a film against the inky night sky.

“Not bad. I’ll check on her and get you some books from the library.” She turned back to the hatch in the ground to leave.

“Some board games, too, if you would.”

“Board games need more than one player.”

“No, they don’t.”

Emily sighed. “I’ll be back in an hour. Dinner will be at midnight, make sure to be there.”

2

A girl stood between two laboratory tables. She was hardly taller than Vivian. Her light purple hair, the color of an orchid flower, matched the color of the thick purple liquid filling the flask beside her. Each table held an excess of tubes and glassware. Within each vial, plants and small animals of unknown origin boiled, dissolved, and hardened within their respective soups. The girl donned a leafy green dress, like a breed of spring fairy, yet her stature was too large for such an identification.

Without warning, a vial burst, ejecting droplets of scathing solution and fragments of glass directly into the girl’s shirt sleeves. “Ah!” She jumped.

“You’re looking well, Lilac.” Emily appeared directly in front of her, walking through the tables and instruments, like a mirage. It was only when she had cleared the obstruction that the girl could hear the ends of Emily’s robes brush against the edge of the table.

“Em. Why’re you here?” Lilac asked nervously.

“Nothing much, how’s the job going? Tired? Anything new?” Emily swiveled around and turned towards the instruments on the table, carefully examining their contents. She pointed to a six-legged spider, still struggling in its death trap as it boiled alive. “I thought you stopped using live specimens.”

“For your first question, it’s fine. It was a bit busy at first. I’m not tired. I slept all day, so I’m not tired. I made some stone-scale serum, if you want to try it. It turns your skin into hard scales, like a lizard. It might be helpful in combat. I had no time to prepare before coming. Some of my fresh ingredients survived the trip here.” the girl replied in a hoarse voice. The bags under her eyes and her drooping frown betrayed her insistence. While her height did not, her mature complexion made it apparent that she shared a similar age as the woman that stood almost two heads above her.

“Never mind that. Are the batches of fire paste complete?” Emily asked.

“There.” Lilac pointed to the corner of the dimly lit laboratory. Six barrels of black paste, the same as used on the walls to ward off invaders, sat in the corner. “They won’t come to pick it up, so I stopped making more. Is something happening outside?” Finishing her last sentence, Lilac broke into a coughing fit, hacking up faint strands of black tar-like saliva.

“Lilac!” Emily bent down.

“I’m fine. I’m breathing in a liter of rock dust every time I make a jar of that stuff.” Lilac got up from the floor after wiping her mouth with her sleeve. Formless black stains dotted her sleeves, the dried mixture of black saliva leaving a marking in the forest-green fabric.

“I’ll find someone else to make it if we need any more. You’ll teach them, won’t you?” Emily requested.

“Won’t that just make whoever I’m teaching suffer from the process?”

“It will. But at least it won’t be you.” Emily smiled. “If someone has to cough up black phlegm from one of my assignments, I’d prefer it to be a stranger, and not one of my friends. I’ll see you in the banquet hall at midnight. We’ll be standing by and it will give you all a chance to rest.”

3

Akari’s campfire cast a rippling circle of light into the desert sand. She sat alone. A few miles away, the shouting and fighting had largely died down at the walls of St. Manon’s. Enemies gathered outside the range of weapons. They prowled about the sandy dunes without making a sound, carefully steering a large circle away from Akari’s fire. On occasion one would briefly approach before pulling away, coaxing her hand towards the hilt of her sword.

Beneath the surface, thick wooden roots burrowed through the sand. The densely packed ground shook and sifted. At their center, the lady held her hand outstretched. She clutched one of the roots like a rope, steering the wood’s hulking mass around the boulders buried beneath the sand. She burst forth, aboveground, to Akari’s expression of shock and then irritation.

She stood atop a segmented construction of living wood. Countless root fibers jutted out from the surface, writhing and searching for a surface to latch onto. It resembled a worm, but in the place of a frontal segment Emily stood with a network of roots curled around her arms and legs.

“That’s my fire!” She shouted. “Do you know how long it took me to get that started?”

“What? You mean that thing?” Emily pointed her pinky finger at a small pile of sand. It sprang alight.

“Ah! Put that out.” Akari shielded her face with her sleeves. “This is why I can’t stand you all.”

“Why?” Emily smirked. She curled her pinky finger and the fire imitated her expression.

“Because you do things with so little effort. It took me two hours to get the fire going, and now you just made another one in two seconds. Why should I even try?” Akari turned away, her face downcast.

“I’m not sure what to tell you. I do prefer normal fires.” Emily stuck her hands out at the pile of flaming sand. “Come over here.”

Akari stepped forward. Her ponytail, wrapped with a short knot of horse hair, hung down to her waist. It was a shallow black, with bangs that turned at sharp angles. She wore an intricate woven blue robe, a yellowed undershirt, and baggy black pants. Her doe-like blue eyes glinted in the firelight.

“Apologies for putting out your fire. Thank you for coming on short notice.” Emily wrapped her arms around Akari’s shoulders. Akari’s heartbeat grew faster, pounding against her chest as Emily tightened her embrace. She instinctively pushed Emily away.

“S-sorry.” Akari whispered, her face red.

“Don’t worry about it. While I’d love to stay and enjoy the night with you, my presence is needed elsewhere. For now, just give me your report on what’s been happening. This is a nice island you’ve got. Would you mind telling me about that?” Emily sat and crossed her legs in the sand.

“They’re smart. Smarter than they look. I destroyed two of their larger ones, one to the north-east and the other to the south-east. Since then, they’ve fled deep underground. Not even one has appeared. And even their grunts avoid me. I feel like I’m fighting a swarm of bees. Some of them are using weapons. They’re a tiny bit stronger than they were at the start of the day. I predict they should overpower our defenders in a couple of days. I believe we should prepare for that outcome. Perhaps-“ Eager to change the subject, Akari stammered without stopping. Her eyes scanned Emily’s face from corner to corner.

“That’s enough. Thank you for the overly detailed report. Come back with me in the woodworm. Dinner and rest starts at midnight. Stand by until then. Good work for today.”

“My thanks, but I’ll walk. Being so close to your High Excellency would be…a little too exciting for me.” Akari’s bright red face was clearly visible even in the darkness of the night.

4

Emily circled the city from below. The way the sand shifted from atop her wooden worm indicated her location; if it fell down freely, she was below sand. If it remained caked, losing its soft, granular texture, she was below the city. She searched for her final target. A girl named Egret, with hair as milky white as the stars above, had to be nearby.

A pungent odor permeated through the underground. The stench of rotten flesh, more sinister than the withered scent of the city’s assailants, blighted the surroundings. Emily surfaced. The hands, clasping a hidden treasure, stood amidst the overgrowth of shadows. Through the web of interlocking fingers, a girl laid with her eyes closed. Her sleeping face slowly moved up and down, its pure white skin glowing in the pocket of moonlight peeking through.

“Egret, there you are. Let’s get you home.” Emily said with a bittersweet smile.

5

“And that’s how the eagle king met his doom.”

“That’s…such a sad story.” tears dripped down Anastasia’s face.

“Disappointing. He got what he deserved.” Maria curled up at her end of the wagon. It was large enough for two people to sleep in, so she and Anastasia sat inside it, their legs hanging out of the back.

“I don’t remember that happening. Hey!” Canary shouted in protest.

“Narrator’s rules. If you don’t like it, why don't you handle the evening entertainment tomorrow night?” the captain smugly proposed.

His face turned red with embarrassment. “I can’t do voices. You know that.”

“Come on, find something else to do. Juggle, sing, or play an instrument. In all that time sitting in your banana cave, surely you picked up something, right?” she joked.

“Stop calling it a banana cave. I told you, it was a cave with banana trees growing outside of it.”

“Sounds like a banana cave to me.”

“You want to hear a story so badly? Fine.” Canary removed the scarf covering his face. “I’ll tell you all about why I left my tropical paradise to freeze in my boots, get yelled at by old guys, and dragged along on a trip with you all.”

“I meant tomorrow night, but go ahead. We can’t pass the military checkpoint anyways.” The captain leaned back in a makeshift chair fashioned from sticks and rope. She’d changed out of her uniform, opting for a set of short pants and short sleeved shirt, in anticipation of the coming summer heat. Summer had yet to come, and so she covered herself in a stained cotton cloak borrowed from Reshevsky’s place.

Canary took a deep breath and a long drink of water. “Long, long ago, I awoke. I was naked, and as I opened my eyes, there was nothing but darkness and a point of light far away. Uh, it was like an instinct, but I ran to it, and I came out of a cave. The first thing I saw were these trees, with this seedy, green-yellow fruit. I ate one, and it was sweet so whenever I saw one growing off of a tree I would eat it.

I kept doing this for a while. In the morning, I would wake up, look for more fruits, get tired, and go to sleep at night. But, one day I started to feel…bored. It was a slight feeling, but then I didn’t want to eat bananas anymore. Using a sharp rock and some sticks, I decorated my home in the daytime, using the light that came from outside. I didn’t have a lot on my mind, so…I just drew the fruits that I ate.”

“Banana cave! Hahaha, banana cave!” the captain howled with laughter.

Canary ignored her. “One day, I met an animal. It was small, but it had hands and feet like I did, and it also liked the fruits, so if I saw one climbing the trunk or hanging off of a leaf to grab it, I wouldn’t scare it off. If I gave one to the little creatures, they would sometimes give me things, strange objects that I hadn’t seen before, even. And finally, one day…” he paused. Canary took a deep breath and held his hand to his chest. “They all died. I saw them strung up on the shore, their faces turned to the sky. They looked kind of peaceful. That was also when I met Reshevsky, and he brought me up north with a boat.”

“No!” Anastasia cried in horror.

“That was a terrible story. You should never have told us.” Maria chided in amusement. It was clear to her the obvious connection that Canary himself seemed oblivious to. Behind Canary’s unassuming, friendly face, he was missing something, just like her.

“I don’t remember the story ending like that either.” the captain said. “Anyways, I’ve had plenty enough of that. Good night everyone, lights out. I’ll keep the first watch, and Maria, you’ll be second, as always.”

Maria nodded. On these nights she could be the closest one to Anastasia. Feeling Anastasia’s fragile body against her was reassuring. So long as that man would do everyone a favor and never appear again.

With her eyes closed, Maria scrunched her face in disgust. His snake-like eyes, his tar-black hair covering his face, and his brutish hands remained vividly etched into Maria’s memory. He was vile. Clearly a man who’d seen many years more than Anastasia had. Was he a nobleman, so despised by his peers that he could not find a suitable partner among them? Or was he a grunt in the armed forces, wearing the best garb he could afford to impress the common women? Maria thought of dozens of possible identities for the man, each one more pitiful and wretched than the last. One thought was clear within Maria’s mind. She had yet to speak to the man who’d so casually taken Anastasia’s hand, and she knew she hated him. With every speck of flesh that composed her being, she’d tear him into finer shreds than anyone before, so fine that even the most tenacious abyssal would find themselves scattered in the wind. He was no abyssal. His scheming, plain eyeballs were endowed with a human set of black irises and pupils.

Maria’s consciousness slipped away. For a passing moment, she drifted to sleep, only to instinctively twitch back awake. Something was missing. The warmth of Anastasia’s hands against her midsection had disappeared. Her eyes shot open. The captain, who was responsible for the first watch, laid next to the fire, carelessly snoring away. Maria’s brow twitched. In her most effortful show of restraint, she slapped the captain, twice.

“Ow…what?” the captain slowly blinked and her eyes came into focus.

“Captain. Were you keeping watch, or not?” Maria’s glaring blue eyes were rays of icy cold. The captain shivered and averted her gaze.

“I was just keeping watch as normal, and I smelled something funny, like roasted meat. And I just felt very sleepy. You felt it too, did you not?” the captain asked.
“That’s…true. Stay here, and signal me in case she comes back. I’m going to look for her.” Maria circled around the back of the wagon. A faint smile spread across her lips. That man could be closer than she’d thought. He might even be in the military, as she’d expected. If he was prowling around in the night, and were to happen to disappear, no one would notice. The night would swallow him up. He’d never be seen again. Of course, Anastasia could be in grave danger. That was clear. But there was no reason to panic about it; regardless of how Maria felt, Anastasia’s fate would not change. Only Maria’s actions would matter.

6

“Let me down!”

When Anastasia came to, she found herself prone on the back of a winged horse, rapidly gaining altitude. It rocked and bounced in the wind as the ground grew farther and farther away. A single hand pressed down on her back, keeping her from shifting around in her precarious position.

“If that is really what you want, I’ll send you back.” A deep voice said from behind her. With one hand gripping the reins of the godsteed, and the other firmly gripping her, he steered them deeper into the night sky.

Anastasia relaxed. She knew this man. In the darkness, she could barely make out his features, his neatly kept hair drifting in the gale, and his face, still as steadfast and unafraid as ever. “Who are you? Why are you taking me?”

“I wanted to speak with you. I don’t mind meeting your companions, but I’m sure some of them would mind meeting me,” he supposed. “Am I wrong?”

“I don’t even know who you are,” Anastasia replied crossly. “I would love an explanation, since you’re abducting me.”

“I’ll send you back. Give us some time.” the man, in one swift motion, flipped Anastasia over into a riding position at the front. Her legs sat in front of the black horse’s wings, while he sat behind. There was a comfortable amount of distance between them, with minimal physical contact. Anastasia took a moment to accustom herself to the bounce and stride of the horse. Whenever it flapped its wings, she felt a gust of air and a burst of speed, but otherwise it quietly held its wings taught and glided through the sky. They were nearly tall enough to touch the clouds, if she could muster the courage to reach up she might run her hand through its cotton-like surface.

“Look, below us. Those are my armies. The first, second, fourth, and fifth armies at my command.” he guided her hand to the blanket of campfires below. They appeared as specks of orange, with the people taking refuge beside them indistinct from the surroundings. “They obey me.”

“I didn’t ask about that. Your name. What is it?” Anastasia asked, in an even more annoyed tone.

“Damned girl…” he whispered under his breath.

“Hm?”

“Kirill. That is my name.” The man gave his introduction in an awkward, almost nervous manner. He wasn’t used to introducing himself. Everyone he’d spoken to all his life knew who he was. Except for her.

“So, sir Kirill, for what do I owe the occasion?” Anastasia turned her head back to look at him. The moonlight, peeking from behind a cloud, shone a ray of light onto his face.

“Your dress is quite nice. It’s made of good materials. And you’ve maintained it well. Do you know how to sew?” Kirill cooly stated. In fact, he could barely see what her dress looked like. He only remembered its pink color, fashioned with elaborate checkered embroidery and a gaudy pink ribbon with a polished jade crystal at its center. It was quite unfashionable, really. In spite of the way it looked, however, it matched Anastasia’s childish complexion, her pink hair, and her emerald green eyes well.

“Oh…thank you. I only know the basics.” she stammered.

“Where are you going? The southern territories are dangerous. It could be unsafe.” Kirill asked. Something about their two-story wagon’s construction smelled of a particular subordinate of his, but he wasn’t sure.

“We’re going to save the world.” Anastasia said with a smile on her face.

“Oh really? So was I.” Kirill replied smugly. “But that’s not what I brought you here to ask.”

“Go ahead. We have time.”

“Anastasia, marry me.”

Anastasia paused.

“What?”