CHAPTER SEVEN:
Stones and Rhymes

It was not rest and relaxation that Connor found, however.  Ilasine showed them to their sleeping quarters, a cave that was much smaller than the others, had a low-rising ceiling, and which was filled with plants and berries.  

You may sleep here, she said, pointing her nose at a cozy-looking place in the corner that was free of berries and things. Rest as long as you like.  She turned to exit the cave, but Connor spoke up.

“Ilasine?”

Yes? she said without turning.

“Why are you not living in the North?”

We were banished from the North, said Ilasine gravely.  She turned around to face Connor and Kamali.  After many lifetimes of ridiculing, the Ersatz, a band of so-called true tigers were the ones who finally banished us from what is now their home.  We left without a complaint, thankful that we would no longer have to bear their criticism.  She sat on the floor of the cave, and curled her tail around her in a protective manner.  We were wrong, however.  Wherever we go, we always face things that call us unordinary and supernatural.  She sighed.

Our tales, which have been passed down since the Toraken existed, tell of a stranger which humans worship, who will help to protect them.  But there is also tales that the boy who travels with this Prophesied will not only save the Prophesied from danger, but will also help bring peace throughout the land.

Connor gaped at her.

“Who would this boy be?” he asked carefully.

Our tales do not describe him, nor give any clues besides that he is male.

“And you know of the Hoskawisanoh?”

We are not ignorant, sniffed Ilasine haughtily.  But still, they are only tales.  One cannot believe fairy’s stories, now can one?  She stood up.  Have a good rest, you two.  Connor looked after Ilasine as she left the cave.  He was quite unable to fall asleep for some time, and even when he did manage to nod off, the sun was poking its head from above the horizon.

***

“Connor… Connor!”  Kamali shook Connor’s shoulder, and Connor mumbled something about forgetting to tether Lebra to the post.  Then, suddenly realizing where he was, he sprang up, and hit his head upon the low ceiling.  Falling back upon his back, he looked into Kamali’s face, which was etched all over with excitement.  “C’mon, Connor!”

“What time-”

“It’s midday.”

“What?  Oh, man…” he said tiredly.  “I’ve only slept for a little bit.  Can’t you let me sleep some more?”

“Your insomnia is not my problem.  Anyway, Midaris and Ilasine want to introduce us formally to the rest of the Toraken,” she said.

“Oh, fun.”

“Come on,” said Kamali.  “It should be a very interesting experience.”

“You and your interesting experiences,” mumbled Connor.  “For once stop acting like a teacher.”

“Oh, please.”  Kamali ruffled Connor’s hair.  “It would be considered very impolite if we didn’t show up anyway.”

“All right, all right,” said Connor, pushing himself back up again.  “I’m coming.”

All of the Toraken, to include their cubs, sat in a clearing, in front of a very large tree that was hollowed out.  A cub, probably only about a year old, but still equally dangerous as a fully-grown tiger, sat calmly,  watching Kamali and Connor closely.  Its gray eyes seemed to sift through Connor’s mind as they passed by, and its tail twitched in a manner that Connor could not interpret.

Welcome, said a boy’s voice, directed only for Connor to hear.  Connor watched the Toraken cub walk up to him with amazement.  A cub- conducting the welcoming of himself and Kamali?  You see I use the greeting automatically.  I do not mean that you are welcome, naturally.  He sat down and his claws were slightly visible through his foot-fur.  I rule the Toraken, said the cub, smugly.  Its eyes regarded Connor with humor.  You think that a mere child cannot rule.  Well, a wise decision would be to ignore your silly human rules when you’re around the Toraken.  Connor looked nervously down at the ground.  The cub laughed cruelly.  Oh, and by the way, my name is Ari, just in case you wanted to know.  But of course you don’t care.  None of your kind do.  My parents died six moons ago, at the hands of your people.  They can still be seen walking around with my parent’s skins on their backs.  It makes me sick.  Ari growled softly on the last word.  Then his tone changed, and Connor realized he was speaking for all the Toraken to hear.

Friends, he said in a very cheerful tone.  The Toraken gratefully welcome you here.  We have summoned you to present you with a gift, which will help you on the journey that is to come.

Two tigers came out from behind the tree, each carrying a cloth bag in their mouths that was weighted down with something large inside.

These stones are sacred to all beings living in the world, and hold great magical powers.

The tigers each opened the cloth bundles gently with their teeth, and revealed two very large, very polished, oval star rubies.  They were of a deep red color, and had six white rays- each equally spaced from the other- protruding from the center.  

Connor could say nothing, but merely stared at them, before looking at Ari.  Ari was looking curiously, not at Connor, but at Kamali, who had quickly knelt in front of the ruby next to her, and was whispering to herself, her forehead on the ground and her hands in front of her.  Connor knelt next to her, and strained to hear what she was saying.

“...mane laird anaf mana lanai, sana kadeui ene troghfa gredeth pratha mi asekrott...”  Connor reached for his star ruby, and weighed it in his hand.  It was strangely warm, almost scalding, but then again, it had been wrapped away in cloth to lie in the morning sun.  He put it back on the cloth, and turned to Ari.

“What kind of magical powers?”

Oh, all sorts, said Ari carelessly.  They have been rumored to house any spirit that the wearer wants to guard himself with.  They have been particularly useful to us, guarding us from attack from the humans, but now that you are here, we feel that you are the ones who will need them most.

“Well… thanks.”  Connor said, giving a small grateful smile. He pulled Kamali, who was still muttering, up from her kneeling position.  He tied the two bundles back up very carefully, and gave Kamali her bundle.  Kamali stopped muttering, and looked at the cloth package with wonder.

You may stay here for a while if you wish, to talk to the rest of our kind, suggested Ari.  They wish to speak with you, for most of them have never seen an Outsider before.  Also, he said, before anyone could interrupt him with a question, the mate of one of my good friends, Ilasine, wishes to join you.  I hope that you do not mind, for she wishes to explore the world.  

Connor glanced around at all of the faces, seeing Ilasine’s face in the back of the crowd.  She looked excited, her tail swishing this way, and that.  

“No, I don‘t mind.”  He took Kamali gently by the arm, and pulled her towards the rest of the Toraken.  He thought about talking to Ilasine first, asking her about why she decided to come with them, and not on her own, but a Toraken’s question raided his mind, and soon after, was filled with queries about the Outside.

***

“What was that?” demanded Connor as they made their way back to the cave,  the sun beginning its journey down towards the horizon.  

“What was what?” asked Kamali.

“You, falling to your knees in front of the ruby.”  They sat down, carefully avoiding the ceiling.  “Is it a holy object or something?”  Connor began making two necklaces out of the gold chain links that the Toraken had supplied (though he didn’t want to know how they’d gotten it), and the rubies.

“Yes,” said Kamali simply.

“And…”   He magically melted the holder onto the top of the ruby and charmed it to stay there.  “What about it?”

Kamali sighed.  “There are only six of them ever to be noted in history.  Three of them were lost in conquest, by greedy kings that abused their power.  Went and blew themselves- and their rubies- to smithereens.  The other three handed themselves down the line of rule from king to king, and eventually were lost.  There have been strange rumors (which until now I thought as tall tales) that strange workings have been going on.  The rubies were said to have the blessings of the gods, and so everyone was always seeking them, to use them for their own purpose.  If you own one, you are said to be practically invincible.”

“Practically?”

“Yes.  There are ways to defeat your enemy even if they hold the Stone.”

“So, where’s the other Stone?”

“That, unfortunately, I do not know.”

“Well, as long as we have two out of the three, I’m thinking that it’s pretty hard for whoever wants to stop us getting to Ishkamora will be able to get his hands on the Stone.”

“True.  But there is always a chance…”

***

Aurora woke to a bird perched on a windowsill, singing a merry tune.  She sat up, and as the bird flew away in fright, she noticed that Auna was gone.  Stepping out of the warm furs that were her bed, she made her way to the skin door of the hut.

Outside, there was no movement.  All of the villagers seemed to be sleeping off the effects of last night’s party.  The sun was well above the horizon, and the horses moved around restlessly.  Birds chirped and flies hummed as Aurora made her way to where the festival had been the night before.  

A large pile of burnt wood was stacked in a pile, and a thin trail of smoke still rose from it.  She picked her way through pieces of bread and meat littering the ground, and past a long table stretched out next to the pile of wood, that had scattered bits of food on it.

Hearing a sound behind her, she whirled around just in time to see a leg disappearing behind a hut.  She ran after it, jumping over the half-eaten wild boar.  When she ran around to the other side of the hut, she found a boy tending to a fire, and an elderly lady, who was warming herself against the flames.

“The morning chill can get into my very bones,” she said, noticing Aurora.  “Come, sit next to me, child.”  Aurora sat down cautiously.  “My boy here noticed you a-wandering.  I asked him to fetch you for me, but he’s too shy to talk to strangers, as you can see. I wanted to ask you what you’re doing wandering around at sunrise when everyone else has gone off hunting?  Didn’t you wish to join them?”

“I- I didn’t know they’d gone,” said Aurora, rather bemused.  “I thought they were sleeping off last night’s party.”  She looked down to watch an ant crawl across the ground.

“Ah, I see.”  The lady smiled.  “Good guess, but we have parties every night of the year; we’re used to them. These idiots will find any excuse to have one.”  Aurora laughed.  The lady looked at her curiously, and Aurora had a vague feeling that the lady was sifting through her mind.  “So you’re the Chosen One,” she said, and Aurora looked up sharply.

“How did you know that?”

“I know.”

“How?”  The lady looked at her, as if judging whether to tell her.

“I expected someone different.  Someone who had been born here, at least.  Trust the gods to pick someone different every time… Tell me something.  Have you met her?”

“Who?”  But Sibil was engaged with the boy, giving him instructions.

“Mettre un feu, garçon.” she said, rather sharper than usual.  “I’m sorry, but he never obeys me if I’m nice to him.  I hope you don’t mind.”

“Oh, that’s- that’s all right,” said Aurora, not really knowing what Sibil had just said. “Who? Who are you talking about?” said Aurora.  

“Who? Oh, yes,” Sibil muttered darkly. She leaned closer to Aurora, as if sharing a deep, dark secret. “The one who will destroy the world.”  Aurora looked at Sibil, shocked.

“Oh, don’t be so surprised.  She’s out there, you know.  She’s waiting for the right moment, waiting to pounce, like a tiger, only not so beautiful.”

“No,” she Aurora, rather shaken.  “No, I haven’t met her yet.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.  Trust me, I think I’d know when I’d meet her.”

The lady sighed, though Aurora was sure she saw her smile faintly.

“No, I don’t think you would.  Still, you should at least have something to protect you when you do meet her.”  She pulled a piece of cloth off a sword, and, grunting slightly at its weight, handed it to Aurora.  As Aurora took it, she began to wonder.  Strange things had happened to her in the past, during her training, but she felt that she couldn’t trust this woman.  She seemed likeable enough, but all the same…

“What’s your name, anyway?”

“Sibil.  But that doesn’t matter.  Names mean absolutely nothing, as you’ll soon find out.”

“If you know who will destroy the world, then how come you don’t tell someone?  You could be a huge help, and all you do is sit at your fireside, telling strangers that you know, but you can’t tell!  Why don’t you tell me?  It would save me a lot of trouble, and it would be pointless to figure it out years from now if you could just give me who it is right now.”

“Kids these days…” Sibil muttered.  “Expecting me to tell them without any work involved… Look.  You’ll find out soon enough- the stars have told me this- and this sword will help you when you do.” She sighed. “And anyway, you’ve already met her,” said the old woman patiently in conclusion.  

“I- I’ve already met her?”

“Yes,” said Sibil.  “And a good show she put on, too… She’s an extremely good actress, that one.  I wouldn’t be surprised if she ended up as the King’s storyteller.  Could deceive a fox.”

“Do I know her well?”

“What a question!  Do I know her well… Of course you don’t know her well!  You’ve passed by her, and let her go without a fight!  If you knew her well, you’d move to the other end of the world!  That or kill her on the spot!  She’s a snake in disguise, not to be trusted with any information more than the knowledge that the sun rises.  And even that might be dangerous!”  

“Oh,” said Aurora.  “Can you- I mean, if you aren’t going to tell me-”

“I’ll give you a clue,” said Sibil, finishing her sentence for her.  “That’s what all the other silly fortune-tellers around here do, anyhow.  And, I’ll even give it to you in poem form.  How’s that?”  Aurora nodded, bewildered.  “Ah- but not without a bit of a fee…”  The lady smiled as Aurora suddenly looked extremely annoyed. Then her composure changed, and Sibil peered at Aurora gravely.   

“Promise me you’ll take care of that sword and not give it to anyone, nor tell anyone that you have it.  That’s all I ask.  That sword guarantees your life, child.  You give it away, and you give away your life.”  Aurora nodded.  

“Good!  That clears things up a bit!”  She cracked her knuckles, and fished out a bit of wood bark out of a large pile of papers. It had odd symbols on them- strange even to Aurora, who had learned of several different languages in tutoring.  

“I thought you might be coming by today, so I’m very glad I located where this was before you did. I’ll even translate this for you.  I got this at a market back at Brin, and they have some remarkable collector’s items there…”  She smiled, and pulled out a page that held writing Aurora faintly recognized.

“The poem from the Festival!” she said, peering closer to the page. She hadn’t seen it for years, and yet the characters were so familiar she was overcome with nostalgia for her home; a nostalgia that hadn’t been felt for years.

“I beg your pardon?” said Sibil incredulously. “This is the one and only copy of the poem, I’m sure of it. Where could you have found it?”

“At an antique festival my… mum… was participating in. A lady there had a collection of old books, and there was one that had that poem in it, I’m sure. She said she thought it had been Mayan or something, but she wasn’t sure.”

Sibil studied Aurora’s face carefully. “And so do you think the merchant got this from the Mayans, or that we gave it to them, long ago and perhaps they might have made a copy of it?”

“I honestly don’t know…” said Aurora. “But I’m anxious to hear what it says. Please, read it to me.”

“All right, here you are:

Safety comes in robes of knowledge;
Teaching the Great One,
Everything she needs to know
To slay the evil dragon.

Evil comes in robes of knowledge;
Stealing from the Great One,
Whose power comes not without payment
And pay this dragon shall, with its life.

The dragon sends the Sickness upon the land,
Which holds the fate of Tasrila on edge.
But with the Sword of Power the Great One rises
To slay the evil dragon who holds her very soul.”

“Lost a little in the translation, didn’t it?  The rhyming and rhythm is totally off, but I’m sure you get the point.”

“I’m sure I will… Could you read the poem again, please?”  Sibil read it, and afterward, Aurora jumped up, excusing herself.

“That girl’s got brains,” Sibil said to the boy, watching Aurora sprint away. “I’m sure she’ll figure it all out at some point, eh Devin?”  The boy nodded mutely, and poked the fire with a stick.

***

“We thank you very much for your warm hospitality,” said Connor to Ari.

No, the pleasure is all mine, human.  He added the last word in for only Connor, and Connor scowled at him.  I do hope you come back again, he said, we have truly enjoyed your visit.

Kamali and Connor waved to the Toraken as they walked away with Ilasine, into the west through the forest.

“How do you think Aurora is doing?” asked Kamali.

“I don’t know exactly,” said Connor, but I hope she hasn’t forgotten that we’re supposed to go to Ishkamora.  Maybe she’ll be there when we arrive.”

Where is Ishkamora? asked Ilasine, curiosity getting the better of her.

“It’s a long ways off, the capital of Tasrila,” explained Connor.

“Though I don’t see how we’ll be able to find her,” said Kamali.  “Ishkamora must be surrounded with the local King’s guards. It’s going to be extremely hard to get past them without the Hoskawisanoh herself. And you know what they might do to us if we say we lost her. It might be disastrous.”

So then why are we going? asked Ilasine.  I can tell you of much more exciting places to visit.  Rumors have it that a giant, evil, horrendous-

“No, thank you Ilasine,” interrupted Kamali nervously.  “Anything that has that many bad adjectives to describe it can remain at rest- peacefully- where it is.”

Are you sure, because it’s-

“No.  Thank you, Ilasine.  We-”  

A twig snapped behind her, and she spun around.  Not bothering to hide, a Soldier stepped out from the depths of the forest.  His gray eyes flashed as he caught sight of Kamali.

“Well hello there,” he said, looking her down.  “It’s nice to see you again.”  His blond hair had been trimmed since she last saw him, and his cut had mended to a scar on his cheek, but Kamali plainly recognized him as the man who had attacked her in Tsala.