Fable - Ask The Road to Answers

[Villam Regis]

Villam looked on with a furrowed brow as Lyta first tried and failed to ascertain what had brought Dorian to his untimely end. A frustrating outcome, but not one that he blamed the Dream Guardian for in the least. To push herself further in a desperate search was a danger, especially with the poorly understood power of The Dreaming.

He gave a nod to Lyta as she backed away from the reeking husk that had been their comrade, and now looked towards Kaira as she consulted with those spirits within her own fugue state.

It was a display he hadn't seen before, this commune with the Ancients. There were those among the Vanguard who deemed it heresy to even pretend to speak to their ancestors, who claimed the Stone of Faith was in truth about as useful as a paperweight. Seeing it for himself, though, the way the air around Yevhen seemed to chill as she slipped between the veil of life and death left only her empty shell behind...

It all seemed quite real to him.

Legitimacy aside, it was what she said after she'd returned from her trance that troubled him. Somehow, the vagueness that the Ancients had provided was more worrying than a simple claim of ignorance. "Return to Valenntenia?" He repeated. "We've only just arrived, and we still haven't explored the area he was found in."

To abandon the mission now on the whims of Yevhen's Stone seemed both foolish and dangerous, given the instability of the situation. "And to go over the head of the High Priest... the old bat will be livid with us..." Still, if the possibility of a lead was there...

"We could split up." He proposes with a begrudging shrug. "Two of us remain here, two of us return with his body. I don't like it, but if it's what the mission calls for..."

 

[Lyta]

Lyta very nearly offered to be in the party that returned. The dark flashes of the Dreaming she had seen when touching Dorian's cold body had been enough to frighten her again. She was in way over her head, knew nothing about interpreting these snippets of the past which seemed somehow even more confusing than when they had been the future. But Solomon had asked her to do this. He had believed she could.

The Dream Guardian took a deep breath.

"I must continue on. I... I know the spot the attack happened," as she spoke her eyes moved to the West as though she could see through the wall to the mountain pass beyond. The odd tree Dorian had been riding hard for that marked the boundary of their land. Had he hoped to hide the stone there? Had he succeeded?

 

[Kaira Yehven]

Kaira shook her head at Villam, waiting until Lyta had made her decision before interjecting. "We have time before returning home. I intend on helping to get more answers."

Truthfully, she did not want to part from the majority of the Guardians. To split up instilled an anxiety inside her, one that made her stomach stir. It was similar to her unease and paranoia that washes over her once she steps outside of Valenntenia, a feeling Kai had grown to detest.

"We are still sticking together. I like our odds better with us four Guardians and the Vanguard." Her hazel gaze dropped to the body before her, hand going to fetch something from her pocket. Kaira had retrieved a small book, fitting into the palm of her hand and filled with scrawled hand lettering. It had been her mother's, and the prayers and blessings written inside were words that gave her comfort.

"Bless the path you take on the journey to the Ancients. Bless the memories that live on in those who remember.

Reach forth for the new life that awaits you, to be welcomed amongst the Ancients of our fine Valenntenia."

Kaira placed a hand over his forehead, unsure when her tears had fallen down her cheeks. "Bless you, Guardian. The Children thank you for your wisdom and protection."

 

[Villam Regis]

Villam certainly wasn't about to protest the consensus that had been made not to return to the city yet. Lyta was right: They hadn't examined the scene of Dorian's demise, and it was entirely possible that more pieces to this puzzle would be uncovered once they'd taken a good look around.

Still, he remained quiet and allowed Kaira to finish paying her final respects to the lost. She recited his farewell as expertly as any of the holy ones back home did, and Villam had no doubt she had far more belief in her words than some members of the church. For his own part, Villam slid his eyes shut for a moment, silently acknowledging the part that Dorian had played in his own life, however small it had been.

He was still a Guardian. He still deserved respect, even in death.

After the moment of silence had passed, he stepped forward, placing his palm upon Kaira's back and turning his head to Lyta, a somber tone in even his voice. "Kon will remain here with the body. Please, take us there, Lyta." Somebody needed to watch the body, and Villam had a vested interest in the next part of their investigation.

They had been told where Dorian was found, but the possibility of that location being different from where he was actually killed... well, it was certainly intriguing. Only Lyta knew the exact point of death, and he now understood his father's insistence.

 

[Lyta]

Red elks were quickly fetched for those of the Guardians without their own mounts for the next leg of the journey was a long one, and would be longer still if they had to reply on the walking pace of a person. The elks were animals built for endurance and the uneven terrain they were about to transverse. Lyta declined the offer of a fresh mount when it was offered and patted Kuruk's velvet like nose with a smile.

"I would never leave you behind old friend," she murmured in his ear earning her a warm huff of air before she quickly mounted up. The mountain pass loomed ahead of them and the Dream Guardian took a deep breath to anchor herself. There were answers up there, she could feel it though she could not explain what that feeling met. The Dream Rune warmed against her skin and she brushed her fingers across it to settle it as much as to use it to settle her. Once the others were ready, Lyta led on.

It took the rest of the day before they reached the very foot of the mountain, before it curved up into the thick forest that marked the start of the pass. The sun was a red smudge behind them casting the world about them in shadows.

"I.. think it is best we camp, then continue the rest of the way in the morning."

 

[Kaira Yehven]

Kaira had little experience in riding any mount, but her journey was mote comfortable upon an elk than it would have been on foot. Her feet had swelled since the walk this morning, but the reprieve was welcomed by her, rubbing her hand along the soft neck of her ride. As a child, she had always wanted a horse, a gentle mare that she could ride when she felt like leaving the city.

That was no longer viable now that she was a Guardian of Faith.

Once they reached their destination, Kai winced as her feet landed on the earthen floor, quickly pushing past the pain of bearing weight. With a smile, she took the camping gear from a member of the Vanguard that looked puzzled by the contents. It was the Faith Guardian that showed them how to firstly set up a tent before helping create a large firepit for meals to be cooked.

They had plenty of refreshment for the evening and morning, and within good time, the camp was made and settled for all.

Kaira took a seat in front of the fire, looking into it with a hard expression. It was a all too warm reminder of the Guardian that passed, but also a warning that the Fire Stone was no longer in possession of the Guardians that hailed from Valenntenia.

She felt someone take a seat beside her, closest to the road where they had traveled along almost an hour before when the sun had given them all the last rays of light to begin making camp. Turning her head slightly, she saw no one, but did not let fear spark within her. Kai knew it was a presence, one she could not pinpoint, but emanated a calming presence. The kind her mother gave her.

"I am sure father is happy to see his old friend, mama." Kaira spoke so softly, not wanting anyone to look her way.

She lifted her head now to look up the mountain before them, shielding them from the cold winds. The Ancients had been quiet since they left Konstantin at the small village, her Stone feeling like some rock picked up from the side of the road against her sternum. It unnerved her, but at least they were not fighting against her decision to not return to Valenntenia so quickly.

 

[Villam Regis]

An Elk wasn't Villam's first choice of mount, but now wasn't the time or place to complain; for their needs, the durable creatures would work well. The path up to the mountain was calm and quiet, which almost felt eerie when one thought of the panicked voice of their comrade that had filled this air only days ago. Villam felt his lip twitch as they passed a patch of uprooted dirt, where the ground had been kicked up from the path either by hoof or foot.

He trusted Lyta and Kaira's belief that they would find some sort of lead at the end of this long, tiring road. He had no choice, really; his powers were not those meant for divination or detection, and theirs were far more durable in those matters. Still, by the time they reached the foot of the mountain, he'd grown weary enough that he did not hesitate to slide off of his elk and help in preparing their camp for the night.

There was but one tent, although large. It would do for the women to have their privacy while Villam kept watch. That much, his stone did acclimate him toward. He sat across from Kaira, raising his hands to the fire to warm them in the quickly dropping temperature of the looming night.

"It bothers me..." He muttered. "Not even those villagers tend to travel this far up the path. That they claimed to find his body along it meant either they wandered much further than usual, or that his corpse was closer to the town than Klaus seemed to claim." He ruminated on these thoughts for a moment, reaching for the spread of their belongings and taking a piece of bread, biting into it with a shake of his head.

"I smell a rat. None of this adds up."

Kaira Yevhen Lyta