barsoomcore
Unattainable Ideal
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It occured to Nevid, as he sprinted towards the screaming, that the only times he ever evinced anything like courage were when it was completely suicidal to do so.
Before he could speculate on the implications of that, he skidded around the corner of a large building and cried out in shock and horror.
The huge white creature had torn the wall off what seemed to be some sort of barracks and was gathering up people in its claws. As he watched it stuffed two or three struggling bodies into its mouth and bit down. The screaming got suddenly louder, which confused him until he realised that he had begun screaming as well.
Recovering his wits fractionally, Nevid ran forward, waving his arms at the thing.
Hoping he could distract it from its meal. Hoping the water in the flask on his belt would have the same effect it had had underground. Hoping he wouldn't slip in the mud and fall flat on his face. He didn't want to die wet and covered in mud.
Or at all, now that he thought about it.
Such distractions kept him occupied as he pressed on, young men and women dressed in their nightclothes streaming past him on either side. He looked up and realised he was well within range of the huge monster's claws. So he stopped.
*****
Vlad stood up as voices grew louder outside. He and Trazik, who hadn't said a word to each other since's Vlad's angry outburst, exchanged a look and went to the door.
Just in time to get knocked backwards as three apprentices charged in, shrieking about some huge monster. Ilonka and Aubrey jumped up and tried to calm the boys down but more and more came pouring in and soon the coffee shop was awash in pandemonium as stories about a huge white monster filled the air.
Everyone turned as Nevid dragged himself up the steps and into the shop. He looked across the crowded room at Aubrey.
"It's gone."
Total silence.
"What?"
*****
Arrafin shook herself and tried to recall the Calegrian she'd been frantically studying.
She babbled complete gibberish at the little girl. The round red face pursed in a frown. Everyone stood very very still.
The little girl babbled back. Elena grunted and tightened her grip on her longsword.
Arrafin thought furiously.
"Do you have power?" was the little girl's question. She thought. She hoped. Okay. She strung together what few words she knew and hoped the grammar didn't change the sense too much.
"I might have power. Why do you want to know?"
The little girl considered. She took a step towards Arrafin. The Naridic girl stood firm, but all the others drew back. Boyce noticed a couple of gold coins on a sidetable and shovelled them into his purse as he retreated.
"Weak one. Give me power. I don't eat you."
Philip spoke up.
"Arrafin? What is she saying?"
"Hang on a sec."
Arrafin took a deep breath. She closed her eyes and thought of her father, the lecture halls and the dry winds of summer in Al-Tizim. Her big dark eyes snapped open and she drew herself up, took and step forward and pointed down at the little girl. She ho
ped her Calegrian was up to the task.
"My power is greater than yours, spawn of Ky'in! Back now, before I decide to show it to you."
She held the little girl's gaze, trying not to shake.
Everyone's eyes widened as the Kishak girl scowled and she and Arrafin stared at each other. It took a second before Philip realised Arrafin was hissing at him over her shoulder.
"That water stuff! Toss me your waterskin!"
Arrafin, of course, didn't carry water. She could barely manage all her notes and reference books. Philip searched hurriedly through his possessions and tossed the full waterskin forward.
The little girl hissed and drew back. She snarled at Arrafin.
"Soon you will show me your power. Soon."
She ran from the room.
Boyce spoke for everyone.
"Okay, that was the weirdest thing I've ever seen. Arrafin?"
Arrafin turned, her eyes wider than they'd ever been. She swallowed.
"Yeah, that was pretty weird. Let's get out of here."
*****
"You know, after all we've been through, I don't think asking for a little sunshine is too much."
Aubrey tromped through the mud and the unflagging downpour, passing dozens of terrified residents of the town. The story of the monster's attack on the apprentices' dormitory had spread, and nobody needed much convincing to follow the suggestion that getting out now, while this Dark Water stuff worked, was a good idea. A refugee train of three hundred people filed away from the squat tiled roofs of Chimney.
The road ran down from the townsite and turned sharply to the left, running along the side of a deep canyon that cut further up into the mountains. On the left the cliff climbed sharply up overhead, while on the right rain plunged into a grey abyss. Aubrey made his way past exhausted parents and their children, dragging their belongings behind them on hand carts or just a couple of lashed poles. Yshakans, Gap and Saijadani alike trudged together through the rain.
At the front of the column Aubrey found Philip, Elena, Nevid and several of the miners contemplating five small barrels under a tarpaulin. He raised an eyebrow.
"Powder."
Philip's explanation took a few seconds to register. Aubrey smiled, a smile of actual pleasure, the first such smile he'd had since coming to Chimney. He turned to watch the refugees filing past. The path here was narrow, only a ledge on the cliff face. There was nothing but sheer rock above and below.
"Seal them in?"
Philip nodded. Elena scowled.
"We don't know if it'll actually stop them, but it couldn't hurt."
*****
"Can you ask your grandfather a question?"
Arrafin yelped as her foot twisted over a rock hidden beneath the mud, but kept her eyes up on Mallinalli. The handsome Yshakan nodded. With a quick grab at her shoulder bag before it slipped off, Arrafin carried on.
"How do we... kill chipactli? I mean, are there any special tricks in your stories? Silver, or anything? Like the Dark Water, only to kill them with?"
Mallinalli shook his head. His Imperial Kishak was broken but clear.
"We cannot kill the chipactli. Only the Queen can do that."
"The Queen?"
"The Queen of Serpents."
"Who's she?"
"The Goddess. The creator of all Barsoom."
"Hm."
It occured to Nevid, as he sprinted towards the screaming, that the only times he ever evinced anything like courage were when it was completely suicidal to do so.
Before he could speculate on the implications of that, he skidded around the corner of a large building and cried out in shock and horror.
The huge white creature had torn the wall off what seemed to be some sort of barracks and was gathering up people in its claws. As he watched it stuffed two or three struggling bodies into its mouth and bit down. The screaming got suddenly louder, which confused him until he realised that he had begun screaming as well.
Recovering his wits fractionally, Nevid ran forward, waving his arms at the thing.
Hoping he could distract it from its meal. Hoping the water in the flask on his belt would have the same effect it had had underground. Hoping he wouldn't slip in the mud and fall flat on his face. He didn't want to die wet and covered in mud.
Or at all, now that he thought about it.
Such distractions kept him occupied as he pressed on, young men and women dressed in their nightclothes streaming past him on either side. He looked up and realised he was well within range of the huge monster's claws. So he stopped.
*****
Vlad stood up as voices grew louder outside. He and Trazik, who hadn't said a word to each other since's Vlad's angry outburst, exchanged a look and went to the door.
Just in time to get knocked backwards as three apprentices charged in, shrieking about some huge monster. Ilonka and Aubrey jumped up and tried to calm the boys down but more and more came pouring in and soon the coffee shop was awash in pandemonium as stories about a huge white monster filled the air.
Everyone turned as Nevid dragged himself up the steps and into the shop. He looked across the crowded room at Aubrey.
"It's gone."
Total silence.
"What?"
*****
Arrafin shook herself and tried to recall the Calegrian she'd been frantically studying.
She babbled complete gibberish at the little girl. The round red face pursed in a frown. Everyone stood very very still.
The little girl babbled back. Elena grunted and tightened her grip on her longsword.
Arrafin thought furiously.
"Do you have power?" was the little girl's question. She thought. She hoped. Okay. She strung together what few words she knew and hoped the grammar didn't change the sense too much.
"I might have power. Why do you want to know?"
The little girl considered. She took a step towards Arrafin. The Naridic girl stood firm, but all the others drew back. Boyce noticed a couple of gold coins on a sidetable and shovelled them into his purse as he retreated.
"Weak one. Give me power. I don't eat you."
Philip spoke up.
"Arrafin? What is she saying?"
"Hang on a sec."
Arrafin took a deep breath. She closed her eyes and thought of her father, the lecture halls and the dry winds of summer in Al-Tizim. Her big dark eyes snapped open and she drew herself up, took and step forward and pointed down at the little girl. She ho
ped her Calegrian was up to the task.
"My power is greater than yours, spawn of Ky'in! Back now, before I decide to show it to you."
She held the little girl's gaze, trying not to shake.
Everyone's eyes widened as the Kishak girl scowled and she and Arrafin stared at each other. It took a second before Philip realised Arrafin was hissing at him over her shoulder.
"That water stuff! Toss me your waterskin!"
Arrafin, of course, didn't carry water. She could barely manage all her notes and reference books. Philip searched hurriedly through his possessions and tossed the full waterskin forward.
The little girl hissed and drew back. She snarled at Arrafin.
"Soon you will show me your power. Soon."
She ran from the room.
Boyce spoke for everyone.
"Okay, that was the weirdest thing I've ever seen. Arrafin?"
Arrafin turned, her eyes wider than they'd ever been. She swallowed.
"Yeah, that was pretty weird. Let's get out of here."
*****
"You know, after all we've been through, I don't think asking for a little sunshine is too much."
Aubrey tromped through the mud and the unflagging downpour, passing dozens of terrified residents of the town. The story of the monster's attack on the apprentices' dormitory had spread, and nobody needed much convincing to follow the suggestion that getting out now, while this Dark Water stuff worked, was a good idea. A refugee train of three hundred people filed away from the squat tiled roofs of Chimney.
The road ran down from the townsite and turned sharply to the left, running along the side of a deep canyon that cut further up into the mountains. On the left the cliff climbed sharply up overhead, while on the right rain plunged into a grey abyss. Aubrey made his way past exhausted parents and their children, dragging their belongings behind them on hand carts or just a couple of lashed poles. Yshakans, Gap and Saijadani alike trudged together through the rain.
At the front of the column Aubrey found Philip, Elena, Nevid and several of the miners contemplating five small barrels under a tarpaulin. He raised an eyebrow.
"Powder."
Philip's explanation took a few seconds to register. Aubrey smiled, a smile of actual pleasure, the first such smile he'd had since coming to Chimney. He turned to watch the refugees filing past. The path here was narrow, only a ledge on the cliff face. There was nothing but sheer rock above and below.
"Seal them in?"
Philip nodded. Elena scowled.
"We don't know if it'll actually stop them, but it couldn't hurt."
*****
"Can you ask your grandfather a question?"
Arrafin yelped as her foot twisted over a rock hidden beneath the mud, but kept her eyes up on Mallinalli. The handsome Yshakan nodded. With a quick grab at her shoulder bag before it slipped off, Arrafin carried on.
"How do we... kill chipactli? I mean, are there any special tricks in your stories? Silver, or anything? Like the Dark Water, only to kill them with?"
Mallinalli shook his head. His Imperial Kishak was broken but clear.
"We cannot kill the chipactli. Only the Queen can do that."
"The Queen?"
"The Queen of Serpents."
"Who's she?"
"The Goddess. The creator of all Barsoom."
"Hm."
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