The Ashes of Allmau: The Orfolk of Allmau

Chapter 8

Kydd closed his eyes tight to cope with the confounding cognitions that cluttered his mind. His memories swirled with equal urgency, trying to rebuild his life to date. Hoping the shadows would subdue his seizure, Ahna hurriedly made her way into the dunes and through the corroded corridors of an old corsair in search of a cool, calm place. The shadows made it clear that Rune was up to something as the pith glowed softly.

When Ahna saw this, she gasped. Almost to the beat of her reaction, the light of Rune swelled and swallowed the pair of them whole. She blinked and refocused, no longer in the corridor, she found herself above a brick red riverbank.

At the far side was a crumbling cliff of grey-red clay, over which brittle thorns spilt. The air was filled with exotic flavours, the sound of insects chirping could be heard in the distance and the warmth of the sun through a windless sky baked her skin. The vision was so vivid Ahna was struck dumbfounded. Her hands lowered, Kydd rolled from her grasp and fell to the floor, limp. The moment he struck the floor the vision ended, and Ahna found herself in the ship once again. Kydd lay motionless with Rune beside him. The light was dying away.

This was getting stranger by the minute. She didn't feel comfortable revealing Kydd to other humans just yet, but perhaps she could find out more about his peculiar artefact.

Closed off to the world by tall sandstone walls, Mendace sat at the end of a workbench in the carpenter's yard. Here he diligently applied a new coat of paint to some string puppets. He remained focused on his work and didn't look up, but noticed in his peripheral vision, Ahna's bonnet and head poke around the corner.

"Alright there, little bandit?" he called out, "Here for Netti?" the carpenter.

"No," she said, looking around the yard, Netti was nowhere to be seen, meaning it was just them.

"Are you busy?" she asked.

"Depends," he said, engrossed in his work, "Who's asking?"

"Me." she said, "I'm asking."

"I can spare a minute. What do you want?"

"Do you know what this is?"

She pulled Rune from her pocket and presented it to Mendace. He regarded the object for a moment then opened his hand to Ahna.

"Be careful with it."

He looked at Ahna, then to Rune, "Of course."

Her eyes narrowed, "I mean it."

He crossed his heart and bowed his head, Ahna approved, and handed Rune to him.

"Let's see." He inspected Rune through a lens, "Interesting, interesting. Where did you find this?"

"The common." Ahna said, she'd prepared for this.

"Ah, well that's unusual. I believe you have yourself, a baby tree."

"A what?"

"It's a nut." He said, flicking it back to Ahna.

She clapped her hands over Rune, catching her mid-flight. She opened her hands to find Rune sitting comfortably in her palms, much to her relief.

"A nut?"

"Yep."

She thought to herself for a moment, "You'd think they'd have known that." she thought aloud.

"What?"

"Uh," Ahna gawped, worried she'd given the game away.

"What's under your nose isn't always obvious." he said.